


Always Weird, Never Normal

by HunterWhoLived67



Series: Always Weird, Never Normal [1]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Hurt Dean Winchester, Hurt Sam Winchester, Older Siblings Dean Winchester and Sam Winchester, Other, POV Sam Winchester, Parent John Winchester, Protective Dean Winchester, References to Supernatural (TV), Young Dean Winchester, Young Sam Winchester
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-04
Updated: 2017-08-31
Packaged: 2018-07-20 01:31:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 39
Words: 119,777
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7385554
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HunterWhoLived67/pseuds/HunterWhoLived67
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Life has never been easy for Dean Winchester. Since his mother's death he's had a big responsibility; protecting his younger brother Sam, keeping the demons away and being more or less the adult when he's only a child. However, sometimes these burdens come at a price and occasionally people just need a break. A chance at a normal life.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Always My Respnsibility

The older one of the boys was sitting up in bed, flicking through the old pages of his father's journal. He glanced over at his little brother, who was fast asleep, thinking their father was busy on a business trip -well in all honesty he was, but not the type of business trip Sammy was lead to believe. Dean sighed, no one would ever know -not even his father- how much he wished that Sam could have a normal life; it was already too late for him, because he knew about the monsters, demons and things even your worst nightmares can't comprehend. But Sam was different. He was innocent and believed that monsters only existed in horror movies, which is what Dean wants him to believe, thinking his brother doesn't deserve a life like this; their whole life is like one big horror story which for Dean, seems to be only just unfolding itself. 

He looks at the clock situated on his bedside table, yawning when he notices that it's three O'clock in the morning, knowing that their father would be back sometimes tomorrow, and when he returns they'll be moving to a different area. Great, more questions coming from Sam, he thought to himself, but no matter how much Sam asked, Dean couldn't tell him the truth; and it wasn't just the fact that his father gave him strict instructions not to, it was because he didn't want to corrupt Sam's mind.

Dean lies down in bed, pulling the duvet up to his face and making sure to stay on his side. Ever since his mother's death, when Dean was barely four years old and his brother Sam was just six months, Dean has made sure never to lie on his back, in fear that somehow the demon will get in and this time it won't be his mother on the ceiling, but Sam. Dean couldn't bare to lose his little brother; not the one person who looks up to him and sees the good in him. He's the only person Dean has.

After a few minutes Dean drifted off into his usual light sleep, constantly worrying at the back of his mind, about something happening to Sam and he's unable to save him. He wakes up about eight in the morning, noticing that his brother was still fast asleep, cuddled up to his teddy bear. Dean smiled at how peaceful he looked, which counteracted with the thoughts flowing through his mind. He climbed out of bed and stalked into the bathroom, getting changed into his usual jeans, grey shirt and black jacket, spraying his hair with the spray he always uses and makes it stick up a little so it doesn't fall flat on his face, like Sam's. He then washes his face, staring at himself in the mirror as he straightens his jacket, making sure he looks presentable for their father getting home, before returning to the main part of the motel room. 

Being the older one of the siblings, it was up to Dean to not only keep Sam safe from harm, but also make sure he wasn't hungry and was happy; which of course was all that Dean could ask for, for Sam. He placed a pan on the stove, emptying out the last half of the beans from their dinner last night and sighing when he sees that there's only one slice of bread; running Dean's original plans of having beans on toast for breakfast. Though it's partly his own fault that they don't have any bread, seeing as he was eating toast at one O'clock in the morning, when his brother was asleep. 

He looked over at the bed when he heard Sam stir, seeing him sitting up and rubbing his eyes, "Morning Sammy." Dean smiled, turning off the stove after the beans had finished cooking. 

"Morning Dean. Is dad not back yet?" Sam asked and Dean's smile faded, not expecting the questions to start so early. 

"No not yet. He will be later though." Dean replied, taking the toast out of the toaster and spreading a layer of butter on it, before pouring over some of the beans. He wasn't too bothered that he was only going to have a very small portion of beans for his breakfast, because he often gave the last bits of food to Sam, not wanting him to go hungry, unlike Dean who had to learn the hard way when Sam became a toddler and was beginning to eat solid food. "Now eat your breakfast. I've made your favorite." Dean announced, placing Sam's breakfast down in front of him along with some cutlery on the side. 

"Thanks Dean!" Sam exclaimed happily before instantly tucking into his breakfast, letting out a groan at the wonderful taste which made a smile form on Dean's face; the little things like simply making his brother happy, made Dean happy. "What about you?" Sam asked as Dean sat down with the pan of remaining beans, along with a spoon. 

Dean shook his head, "I'm not very hungry." He replied, which was a lie because Dean was starving but he couldn't let his little brother go without food all day, because once their father arrives he knows they'll have to leave and their father isn't going to stop at a service station somewhere just so Sam can have something to eat.

It didn't take long for Dean to eat his breakfast and once he'd finished he washed up the pan and implements he'd used, before noticing that he'd stupidly left the window open a little overnight, which meant the salt had blown off the windowsill. Dean cursed under his breath; his father would kill him for not being careful, especially since that incident where he'd left the house and a witch had entered, resulting in his brother almost getting killed. But luckily his father came back -as it was the witch he'd been hunting- and killed it, but that very night had been the only night their father had actually hit Dean. And ever since then, Dean had been extra careful. 

Just as Sam had finished his breakfast, he heard the door open, his heart feeling like it's stopped when he sees his father standing there, having come back early -or that's what Dean thought. 

"I thought I said for you and Sammy to be ready by the time I get here." Their father scolded and Dean saw Sam lower his head, obviously thinking he's going to get in trouble, despite it being mostly Dean's fault. 

"B..but it's only half past eight dad, you said you'd be here at ten." Dean replied, not moving from the window in hope that his father wouldn't see the gap in the salt line, even though it was obvious from the breeze coming through the window. 

"It is ten O'clock." His father replied and Dean looked won at his watch, noticing that it was in fact ten O'clock and realising that the clock at the side of his bed had stopped working. 

"Sorry dad. It's not Sammy's fault, it's mine. We slept in late and I didn't know that the clock stopped working." Dean explained, not wanting his little brother to be in trouble because their father could be quite scary when he's angry, especially to an innocent child like Sam. 

His father cut him a hard glare and Dean gulped after he saw his father's eyes rest on the window sill behind him. "You left the window open?" He asked and Dean lowered his head, glancing over at Sam who was now staring at the both of them in fear and confusion; confused about why their father was acting so strict and protective. 

"Sammy, why don't you go and get changed?" Dean suggested now that Sam had finished eating, not wanting him to have to hear this. And thankfully Sam agreed to it without question, and grabbed his clothes from the end of the bed before walking into the bathroom. 

After Sam left Dean hesitated a little before looking up at his father, noticing an angry look on his face which caused Dean to take a step back. "Sorry sir." Dean murmured, knowing that making up an excuse would only cause his father's anger to increase. 

"I thought you'd learn after what happened last time. Salt doesn't keep the witches out son, locking the doors and shutting the windows do. I thought I'd made that clear last time." His father began, towering over Dean who was still quite small, despite almost being a teenager. 

"I was hot so I needed some air. I was watching over him, I promise. I never let him out of my sight." Dean explained quietly, only moving his eyes to look up at his father. 

"And what have I told you about salting the windows?! That demon killed your mother and it could easily come after you or Sammy. I trusted you to do what I said and not be so careless." His father raised his voice which only intimidated Dean more. 

"You can trust me, sir. I swear it won't happen again. I'll be careful." Dean replied and despite his father's voice scaring him, he knows he means well and is only worried about their safety. 

"You better be. If you mess up even if it's only a little then someone can die. You're in this job now, son you don't have a choice. And I think your brother's old enough to know about this, been as I can't trust you to do this on your own." His father continued and that's what made Dean snap; he never wanted Sam to be exposed to this stuff. 

"No. Sammy can't find out about it dad, can't one of us have a normal life, without demons, ghosts and other monsters?" Dean asked, raising his voice a little which he instantly regretting when his father shot him a hard glare. Dean backed down, but he was still adamant not to let Sam find out about this, "Please dad. Sammy deserves to go to school and have a chance at a normal life. It's already too late for me, do you want to do this to another one of your sons?" Dean continued, this time in a quieter tone and using a rhetorical question to make his father think this true, as this was how Dean truly felt, about him and his brother. 

Before his father could say anything else, Dean saw Sam enter the room, wearing his usual t-shirt with his unbuttoned plaid shirt. "Ready to go, Sammy?" Dean asked, forcing a smile so Sam wouldn't worry about him and start asking more questions. 

Sam nodded, grabbing his bag from the bed before waiting for Dean over by the door. Dean placed his backpack on his bed, subtly putting in his salt gun -which he keeps under his pillow- and handing his dad his journal, which he trusted Dean to keep safe. "Well at least I can trust you with one thing." His father said and Dean put his head down as he left the motel room with Sam and their father, walking over to the shiny, black Impala parked on the dusty driveway. 

Dean had always left a salt gun under his pillow at night, so eh can protect Sam, as well as himself, if some kind of monster attacks them during the night. 

Dean put his backpack in the trunk before climbing into the back seat of the car, deciding to sit with Sam instead of his father, which he often did when he and his father were on bad terms, because Sam never failed to cheer Dean up, even if he didn't try. 

His father didn't say a word and instead just sat there listening to music, leaving Dean in the back to talk to Sam; which was all he wanted after an argument with his father. "What are you reading?" Dean asked, noticing that Sam was busy reading the book -he loved annoying his little brother whenever he was reading. 

"A book." Sam replied sarcastically, which brought a small smile to Dean's lips. 

"Duh. What book is it?" Dean asked before snatching the book from Sam's hands. "You're such a nerd." He teased when he saw that it was a fantasy book. 

"Give it back!" Sam shouted, reaching towards Dean but because of having his seat belt on, he couldn't reach it, this making Dean chuckle. 

"Fine, here you go shortie." Dean smirked, tossing the book back to Sam, not wanting to take the teasing too far and make another person mad at him. 

"I'm taller than you, Dean. You're the midget." Sam replied, turning the teasing onto Dean. 

"Yeah, that doesn't make sense. Are you sure you're not an alien or something?" Dean joked, making fun of the fact that he's the big brother and older than Sam by four years, yet Sam is taller than him. 

Dean chuckled when Sam stuck childishly stuck out his tongue at him and their teasing and witty comebacks continued for the rest of the journey and by the time they'd reached their destination, Dean had cheered up a lot. 

"Dad, where are we?" Sam asked, when he saw his father pull into yet another motel's car park. Dean knew that Sam's questions often annoyed their father, especially when he was in a bad mood to begin with, so Dean decided to come up with another jokey excuse to prevent his father shouting at Sam. 

"A motel, but we're dropping you off at the mental asylum. I think you'll fit in there." Dean teased, causing Sam to jokingly punch his arm, making Dean chuckle. 

Dean then got out the car, collect his and Sam's backpack from the trunk -handing Sam his bag- and following his father into a motel room. 

"Dean." He heard his father say, signalling him to follow him. "Sammy wait in there. I just need to talk to your brother about something." His father continued, and thankfully Sam obeyed and Dean watched as he disappeared into the motel room. 

"Now, I've brought you and your brother here because I've tracked the demon here." Dean's father explained. 

"The demon that killed mum?" He asked, hoping that his father will be able to kill this thing once and for all, because they'd been waiting for too long. 

"No son, a different one." He replied, much to Dean's disappointment, "I trust that you already know what to do but I'll run through it again because you seem too thick to understand." His father said harshly, which hurt Dean a little even though he was used to his father's harsh words by now; he'd prefer it to be him who's getting abused than Sammy. "I want you to salt the door, the windows and close the shades at night. don't leave the house, unless you're going shopping and under any circumstances don't let Sam out of your sight." His father explained and Dean nodded. 

"And if someone enters, shoot first, ask questions later." Dean added, wanting to prove to his father that he can be trusted and knows what to do. 

"That's my boy. Now as long as you do that, you'll be alright." His father replied which brought a half smile to Dean's lips, realising that he's earned back at least some of his father's trust. "You have your salt gun, holy water and knife in the bag. You know what to do if a ghost enters?" He asked, despite having gone through this a million times with Dean.

"Make sure Sammy stays in the salt circle and call you or uncle Bobby." Dean replied, which earned him another proud look from his father. 

He then felt his father give him a gentle pat on the back, "Good. I should be back by this evening. It shouldn't take long to hunt and kill this thing." His father replied and Dean watched as he walked back to the car, part of him wishing he could join his father in a hunt someday but he knew he couldn't leave Sam on his own, because that'll be when he's more vulnerable. 

Once the Impala's gone out of sight, Dean enters the motel room, shutting the door behind him and making sure to lock it, before noticing Sam sitting on the end of his already claimed bed, reading his book. 

Dean knew that this would just be another day in yet another motel room for them.


	2. He Deserves a Normal Life

"Dean why do we have to stay in here?" Sam asked for the third time in the past four or so hours. Sam was getting bored of staying inside all day and the fact that their motel room was opposite a field where some children are playing football, was only making the situation worse. 

"We can go to the zoo, I'm sure you'd fit in well there." Dean teased, once again not giving Sam a serious answer. Now that Sam was getting older, he couldn't understand why his brother hid so much from him and insisted on staying inside all day, especially on a sunny day like today. 

He let out a quiet groan, "I know there's something you're not telling me." Sam stated, giving Dean a serious look, letting him know that he wants a serious answer this time. 

"You don't want to know, Sammy." Dean replied firmly and Sam's eyes drifted from the floor, wishing that his brother would be more open with him, because Sam never hid things from Dean. 

"Well where does dad go all the time?" He asked, "And what happened to mum?" Sam continued after Dean ignored him the first time. 

Dean shot up, towering over Sam who shuffled backwards on the bed after he saw the annoyed look on his brother's face. "Don't you ever talk about mum!" Dean shouted, putting emphasis. on the word 'ever' to get the message through to his brother that mentioning their mum was taboo; you mention it. 

Usually when Dean shouts or gets angry with him, Sam wouldn't respond, instead he'd say a quiet apology and stay quiet but this time he gets a strange burst of confidence and looks up at Dean, "You can't hide things from me." He replied, standing up which gave him a slight height advantage over his brother. "You never let me talk about mum and you never tell me why we have to move around all the time." Sam continued to argue, but he soon realised that mentioning their mother again had been a bad move, because that only makes Dean get angrier with him. 

Sam suddenly felt himself being pushed forcefully back onto his bed, "Are you too stupid to understand? It isn't any of your business!" Dean shouted to the tearful Sam slouched on the bed, finding himself acting very similar to how his father acted when Dean first started asking questions. 

Sam watched as his brother marched away, scooting backwards towards his pillow and pulling his teddy bear out of his bag, hugging it close to his chest as tears fall down his cheeks. The one thing Sam hates the most -except clowns- is Dean being angry with him. He's always looked up to his brother and wanted to be like him; Dean has always been a parental figure than their father ever will -in Sam's opinion. He suddenly heard the door slam shut, making Sam assume that Dean had left, which often happened whenever the two of them fell out. Sam buried his head in his teddy bear's soft fur, it never failing to provide comfort for him whenever Dean couldn't. His mother had given it to him when he wasn't more than three months old and despite most children his age having grown out of cuddling teddy bears, Sam hasn't, because it's the only thing that he has to remind him of their mother. Sam gave up with wiping away the tears that were clouding his vision and closed his eyes, eventually managing to cry himself to sleep. 

**************

It was late afternoon by the time Dean returned, he knew it was wrong to leave his brother on his own for a few hours, especially after the argument with his father this morning, but Dean needed some time to clear his mind before he said something to Sam that he'd regret. 

When he entered the motel room, he saw Sam asleep on the bed, a small smile finding its way onto his face at how peaceful he looked; wishing he could stay that way forever, but from what their father said earlier, it seemed like Sam was going to find out about the horrors of the world sooner or later. 

Dean sat down on the bed, watching Sam as he slept. He wished that Sam wouldn't ask so many questions because it only made Dean angry and he was frightened of accidentally blurting out something about their father's job; he couldn't expose Sam to that stuff. "I'm sorry Sammy. I didn't mean to get mad, it's just for your own good. You're not going to want to know what I do, trust me. It's my job to keep you safe and I'll keep doing that." Dean whispered quietly, despite Sam being asleep and unable to hear him. But suddenly Dean hears Sam stir in his sleep and he soon turns over and faces Dean, which only made fear brew inside him, worried that Sam heard what he said. 

Sam rubbed his eyes, "Dean, you're back?" He asked sleepily, putting his teddy bear on the pillow beside him before sitting up on the bed and looking around to get his bearings. 

"Yeah, I'm not going to leave you silly." Dean replied, smiling to show Sam that he wasn't mad at him anymore, though despite what he said not many minutes ago, Dean still thinks he owes his brother an apology. "I'm sorry for what I said earlier. You're not stupid, Sammy. You're my geeky little brother." Dean said, joking a little about the last part to lighten the mood, because even though Dean loves Sam, he still didn't feel comfortable showing it. 

"It's alright Dean." Sam smiled and Dean couldn't help but smile back, glad that his brother had forgiven him, because he couldn't stand it when Sam or his father was mad at him. He then saw Sam look around the room, his eyes searching for something which obviously he couldn't find. "I'm hungry." Sam said and as if on cue, Dean heard his stomach rumble loudly, his own stomach soon echoing the same sound. 

Dean chuckled, "Same." He replied, remembering that unlike Sam, Dean hadn't had much for breakfast; and he didn't eat anything when he was out earlier, as he wanted to save the last bit of his money for Sam. He looked over at the fridge, knowing that they had no food to eat because they ate the last of the beans this morning and Dean forgot to buy some when he was out. But an idea suddenly came to Dean's mind which he thought would be the perfect way to spend some time with his brother and give him a chance of a normal life that Dean's always wanted for him. "Why don't we go out for something to eat? Just me and you." Dean suggested, which instantly brought a smile to his brother's face. 

"Yeah, I'll get my shoes on." Sam replied and Dean picked up his wallet, shoving into his back pocket and sneaking his salt gun into the inside pocket of his jacket, just in case they were to run into any trouble. He then left the motel room, once Sam was ready, locking the door behind them and walking down the street, remembering seeing a nice looking restaurant in town. 

As they were walking past the park, from the corner of his eye, Dean caught a glimpse of two brother -around Sam and Dean's age- playing in the park, with their parents happily walking beside them. That's the life Dean wanted to him and Sam and he hoped that he could somehow shadow his brother from the evil's of the world and allow him to have a happy and normal life; the kind that he deserved. 

Dean lead Sam down the road to an old looking restaurant on the corner of the street. He ushered Sam inside, noticing that thankfully it wasn't very busy. Dean's eyes scanned over the rest of the room, once again checking for danger but his eyes soon land on a kids play area, and despite being a teenager, Dean felt the urge to dive into the ball pit. His stomach rumbled which soon reminded him of the real reason they're here; to eat. 

"A table for two please." Dean said to the waitress when she walked over to the main desk where they're waiting. 

The waitress picks up to menus before looking at Sam and Dean, "This way please." She said, signalling them over to a table towards the corner of the restaurant, that so happened to be not far away from the ball pit. "Where are your parents?" The waitress asked, handing out the menus after Sam and Dean sit down. 

"Our dad's on a business trip. He said we could come and eat here." Dean replied, which wasn't a complete lie except for the part about their dad saying they could eat here; if he knew then he would kill them. But Dean would make sure that they'd eat quickly and get back to the motel before their father does. 

"Could I get you anything to drink?" The waitress asked and Dean nodded at Sam, letting him speak first. 

"Could I have some lemonade please?" Sam asked politely and Dean saw the waitress smiling at how sweet Sam is. 

Dean jokingly rolled his eyes and looked at the waitress, "And I'll have a beer if you have one." Dean smirked but the waitress didn't seem impressed whatsoever.

"Sorry but there's a policy. No alcohol for anyone under the age of twenty one." The waitress explained and Dean chuckled quietly to himself, "A soda for me then." He replied, this time being serious.

"Sure. I'll be back with your drinks." The waitress said before leaving the table.

Dean opened the menu that had been placed in front of him, his stomach growling at the wide selection of foods listed on there, almost making him regret giving his last bit off food to Sam this morning. He was starving!

His eyes scanned the menu, soon resting on his favorite meat pie and in that instant Dean was certain what he wanted to eat. "I know what I'm having. What about you Sammy?" He asked, noticing that Sam was still busy looking at the menu. 

"I'll have a burger with salad." Sam replied, causing Dean to roll his eyes at his brother choosing the healthier option when he could've had it with chips instead. "Eww, dude that's rabbit food." Dean announced with a disgusted look on his face, unsure how anyone can eat salad and enjoy it. 

"I like it. Just like you like pie." Sam replied, now turning the teasing onto Dean like he always does. 

"Hey! Pie is beautiful." Dean exclaimed, not noticing the waitress returning with their drinks until he hears her say, "Well they aren't the worst pies in Illinois, I can guarantee you that." 

"Well I'll have one then." Dean smiled, thanking the waitress after she hands them their drinks. 

"And I'll have a burger with some side salad please." Sam ordered politely, before picking up both his and Dean's menu and handing them carefully over to the waitress. 

"Your brother's so polite." The waitress tells Dean, before leaving their table with the menu. 

Dean gave Sam a disapproving look, "Really?" He teased, though deep down he looked up at Sam for being the polite one between the two of them, because Dean wasn't that great at talking to people, which meant he often left the majority of the talking to Sam. 

"What?" Sam asked innocently, unsure what Dean's talking about because he thought being polite was a good thing. 

"Nothing." Dean chuckled, finding his brother's innocence amusing; this was the kind of innocence that Dean wanted Sam to keep forever. Dean looked over at the play area, that wasn't far from their table, once again getting the urge to just run in and dive into the ballpit, but he knew he was too old to do that kind of childish stuff. 

Dean was soon brought out of his trance after he heard Sam tease him, "Thinking of going to play with the little kids?" causing Dean's cheeks to turn bright red. 

"What do you think I am? Four?" Dean snapped, but secretly he was just trying to hide how much he wanted to go in that play area. 

Before Sam could say anything else, much to Dean's relief, the waitress returned to their table, placing their meals down in front of them. Dean stared down at the pie in awe, the hot smell that emerged from it after he cut into the soft pastry with his knife, causing his stomach to rumble. 

"You look like you want to marry it." Sam teased but Dean didn't blush at all in response to his teasing, because Sam knew as well as he did that pie was one of Dean's favorite foods. 

"You know what Sammy, I might just do that." He joked through a mouthful of food, quickly swallowing it after he notices a girl watching him from another table. Dean smiled at the girl, but soon stopped after he saw the girl's mother cut him a glare, ignoring Sam's chuckle that followed. However, Dean tried not to let it bother him because right now he was having some bonding time with his brother, which he didn't get very often; he couldn't remember the last time he'd been out somewhere with Sam. 

It didn't take long for Dean to finish eating and he pushed his plate away, leaning back in his seat before giving Sam a confused look after seeing him smirking at him. Dean looked behind him, growing more confused when he doesn't see anybody there. "What?" He asked, oblivious to the gravy around his mouth. 

"And you say I'm gullible." Sam teased, but Dean still didn't understand what he's referring to. 

"Did you enjoy that?" The waitress said after she approached their table and Dean nodded, thinking she's being genuine and not saying it to tease him. "I can tell." She teased, and it wasn't until she signalled to Dean's mouth that he realised he had gravy around it and quickly wiped it away with a napkin. 

Dean pushed his embarrassment aside before reaching into his pocket and pulling out his wallet, putting all the money he had on the waitress's tray; which wasn't much because he could only just afford a meal for both of him. "Thank you." Dean smiled at the waitress as she walked away. He then found himself staring back over at the ballpit, his childish urge remaining and only growing stronger when he realises that nobody's in the play area. So when he heard Sam say, "Race you to the ballpit." Dean quickly stands up and runs towards the ballpit, not caring that he's a teenager or that he's too tall to go in the play area, because right now he felt like a young child who just wanted a chance at a normal childhood. And not for one moment did Dean think about the fact that their father would be back soon and it is guaranteed that he'll be furious if he found out that they went out and Dean had spent the last amount of their money on a meal. 

Dean leaped into the ballpit, throwing a ball at Sam and laughing when it hits him in the face, "Beat you!" He exclaimed, childishly sticking his tongue out at Dean. 

"Whatever." Sam grinned before jumping into the ballpit. He and Dean then started throwing balls at each other, counting it as points each time they hit each other. Their game lasted for about half an hour, when Sam saw Dean climb out the ballpit and attempt to climb up a ladder which lead up to a slide when Sam threw multiple balls at him, each of them hitting Dean in turn and causing him to fall onto one of the mats. "I'd say I won that one." Sam chuckled as he ran over to Dean, who stood up, playfully pushing Sam to the floor and climbing up the ladder. Sam followed him and once they reached the top Sam went down the helter skelter slide after Dean, accidentally landing on top of him in the ballpit once they reached the bottom. 

"Get off me bigfoot." Dean teased and Sam climbed off him, before quickly going underneath the ballpit with Dean after seeing a supervisor walk past the play area. 

Suddenly Dean felt somebody grab the collar of his shirt and pull him out of the ballpit. "You know you're too old to be in here." The woman said and Dean put on an innocent expression. "Sorry I didn't realise it." Dean replied, hoping that the woman would take pity on them but Dean soon finds himself getting dragged out of the play area, along with Sam. 

He looked at Sam after the woman left -giving them a warning not to go in there again- and he noticed a sad look on his brother's face. "Don't worry Sammy, we can go in the arcade." Dean assured him and he felt relieved to see a smile form on his brother's face. 

Dean raced his brother into the arcade, this time letting Sam win seeing as Dean won the last time. He went straight over to an air hockey table, putting a dollar into slot before starting to play with Sam. The game lasted a while and Dean had to admit that Sam was quite good, but he wasn't as good as Dean, who beat Sam 7 - 5. Though the scores were quite close. 

"Nice try." Dean smirked which only earned him a gentle punch in the upper arm from Sam. He then followed Sam over to a claw machine and Dean childishly rushed towards it, getting to it before Sam. He reached into his pocket, noticing that he only had enough money for one go. He looked down at the money in his hand then at Sam, who wore a sad expression on his face. Seeing his brother's sad expression always made Dean decide to give him the rest of his money so he could try to win something on the game, been as he lost at air hockey. It was only fair. "Here." Dean said, handing Sam the rest of his money which brought a smile to Sam's face as he stepped forward. Dean then watched as his brother positioned the claw just above a mystery box, before pressing the button and watching in suspense, the two boys cheering after the box drops through the chute. 

Sam picked up the box, before taking a step towards his big brother and handing it to him, "It's for you." Sam smiled and Dean couldn't control the smile that was forming on his face; he received presents, not even from his father. 

Dean opened the box where he saw a watch attached to a black leather strap. He instantly clipped it onto his wrist and looked down at it in awe, "Thanks Sammy. I love it." Dean smiled happily, but his smile soon dropped after he realised that Sam hadn't technically won anything. "But are you sure you don't want it Sam?" Dean asked, not wanting his brother to feel like he's missing out. 

Sam shook his head, "I want to give it to you. You do everything for me Dean. You think I don't notice but you sacrifice everything for me and now it's my time to show you how much I love my big brother." Sam replied, which brought a tear of happiness to Dean's eye. What did he do to deserve a brother like Sam? Sam had always been the one to think of the other person and unlike Dean, he would say things that are more heartfelt. Dean did love his brother, he was the most important person in his life, but unlike Sam he never showed his love in the same way, nor was he ever open about it like Sam was. But protecting his little brother and sacrificing basic things for him all these years was how Dean showed Sam he loved him, even if he fails to show it in any other way.


	3. First Defeat

Dean's happiness faded as quickly as it came when he looked down at his watch, noticing that it was already past 7pm and their father said he would be back during the early evening. "Can we go on that?" Sam asked, pointing over to a car racing game, which Dean really wanted to play but he knew that their father would be furious if he turned up and they were gone; he was holding onto the hope of him being back late, like he sometimes is. 

"Sorry Sammy but we have to get back before dad does." Dean told his brother truthfully, not wanting to lie to him like he's been doing a lot recently. 

He put his hand on his brother's shoulder after seeing a sad expression on his face, "I'll race you back to the motel." Dean challenged before sprinting out of the restaurant. The main reason why Dean had chose to race Sam was in case there's a chance that their father hadn't returned yet and they would get to the motel before him. 

Dean's heart felt like it stopped when he saw the black Impala parked in the driveway and at that instant he knew that he was in trouble. He signalled for Sam to stop running and waited for him to catch up, hoping that maybe their father wouldn't be annoyed at Sam because it was mostly Dean's fault for taking Sam out for a meal. But Dean just wanted Sam to have the most normal life he could given their situation. 

Dean entered the motel with his head hung low, avoiding eye contact with his father but he didn't get many steps inside when he heard his father's loud, stern voice say "Dean." and Dean looked up only to see his father's cold glare. 

Dean turned to Sam who had just sat down on his bed to start reading, "Sam why don't you get ready for bed?" Dean suggested, despite it only being 7pm but he didn't want his innocent little brother to hear their father yelling at Dean. 

"No, Sam is staying here. I need to talk to you boys." His father ordered and Dean mouthed the words 'it's okay' to his brother after seeing the scared expression on his face. Sam had always felt wary of their father, ever since he heard him yelling at Dean and saw the bruise on his arm from where his father had hit him, but Dean would never let Sam suffer the same fate; he would rather take the pain for him. 

"Dad please-" Dean began but instantly got cut off by their father, "I told you not to leave this room. I though after what I said this morning you would think twice about your actions. You and Sammy could have gotten yourselves killed." Dean's father scolded. 

"But dad I was looking out for him. I didn't leave him out of my sight and we only went out for a meal because I wanted to treat Sam for a change." Dean explained quickly before his father had the chance to interrupt again. 

"And how much money do you have left?" His father raised his eyebrow and Dean diverted his eyes away from him, looking down at the watch Sam had brought him and he tried to subtly cover it up, but it looked like their father had already noticed it because Dean soon felt his arm getting pulled upwards. "Where did you get that from? Tell me boy!" His father ordered and Dean didn't want to get Sam in trouble but he knew that lying to his father would only make things worse so this time he was forced to tell the truth. "Sammy won it on an arcade game and gave it to me." Dean muttered before giving Sam a sorry look after seeing their father cutting him a glare. 

"You spent the last of your money on stupid arcade games?" Dean's father asked and Dean nodded sheepishly, knowing that whatever's about to come can't be good. "Are you an idiot Dean? How long will it take for you to realise that I tell you to do things for a reason!" His father shouted and before Dean could do anything he felt the water getting ripped off his wrist, the leather strap snapping in half at his father's strong grip.   
"No dad!" Dean whined, his heart sinking when he notices the ripped leather before his father throws the watch in the bin. He knew it wasn't real leather and was quite cheap but that watch was special to Dean because Sam had given it to him and their father had just thrown it away. 

Dean suddenly felt a hard slap around his cheek and he clutch it with his hand, certain he would have a bruise there at some point, "Don't whine like a child. You're a hunter, you have responsibilities like any other adult would now grow up!" His father yelled and Dean lowered his head as a single tear formed in his eye but he quickly wiped it away, only looking up when he heard the door slam and saw their father's car pulling away. 

Dean stalked over to his bed, completely ignoring Sam as he sat down clutching his cheek but he soon looking up when he heard a quiet sob coming from the bed opposite his and despite Dean's cheek hurting badly his felt his heart drop after seeing Sam on the bed trembling and hugging his teddy bear tightly to his chest. Dean moved over to his brother and put his arm around him, pulling him closer to him. "I..I saw him hit you Dean. I don't like dad when he's angry." Sam cried into his brother's shoulder and it was at that moment when Dean realised that maybe his brother's innocence is starting to fade no matter how much Dean wants to shadow him from all evil. But he was just glad that his father hadn't blurted anything out about hunting monsters. 

"It's not your fault Sam. Dad's not gonna hurt you." Dean reassured him softly, feeling his brother's arms tightly around him as he clings to him. Dean rubbed Sam's arm gently, trying to calm him down but this time it didn't seem to work so Dean picked up Sam's teddy bear from the bed, pushing his brother's arm back after Sam tries to reach for it. "G..give it back Dean!" Sam whined but Dean wasn't planning on teasing his brother this time. "Relax Sammy, I'm not going to take it." Dean assured him, relieved when Sam gave in and trusted him; his brother's trust meant everything to Dean because he was the only one who always thought of Dean as a good person and Dean knew that Sam looked up to him. 

Dean moved the teddy bear towards Sam's face before gently rubbing its soft fur against his cheek, remembering their mother doing this back when Sam was a baby and it always helped to calm him down. "Cheer up Sammy, your teddy doesn't like it when you're upset." Dean whispered softly, relieved when he saw that his brother was finally starting to calm down. Ever since their mother died and their father was hardly around, Dean had not only been the big brother to Sam but the parent too; he was the one who helped Sam to walk, who taught him things and devoted his life to protecting him. 

"Thanks Dean." Sam sniffled as he pulled away from the hug and Dean handed him a tissue to wipe the tears from his eyes. "It's alright Sam." Dean replied, handing the teddy bear back to his brother. He then saw his brother staring at Dean's cheek, a worried expression forming on his face. "Are you okay Dean?" Sam asked and Dean couldn't help but notice how kind his brother was, as no matter how upset he is he always seems to care about other people, which Dean admired. 

"Yeah I'll be fine." Dean replied, not wanting Sam to worry about him. 

"No Dean, you're not. I saw dad hit you and your cheek's bright red." Sam pointed out and Dean knew that his brother was right. He stayed on the bed as he watched Sam walk over to the freezer, pulling out an ice pack and returning to Dean's side. "Put this on your eye, it'll help." Sam suggested and Dean gave him a weak smile, appreciating what Sam is doing for him even though Dean was just planning on toughing it out. 

"Cheers Sammy." Dean said, taking the ice pack and resting it on his cheek. The cold from the ice pack made Dean shiver but after a while it helped to numb the pain, as well as making his cheek wet but Dean didn't care about that too much. 

"I guess I'm helping my annoying big brother for a change." Sam joked which this time caused a genuine smile to form on Dean's face.

"Hey! I'm not annoying, I'm a pleasure to be around." Dean exclaimed pretending to be hurt when actually this was really helping to cheer him up. 

Sam rolled his eyes, a grin remaining on his face, "Yeah keep telling yourself that." He joked back and Dean pouted, childishly crossing his arms and turning his back on Sam after giving him a glare, pretending to be mad at him in hope to trick Sam, as his brother could be quite gullible sometimes. And his planned seemed to be working after he heard Sam say, "I'm sorry for taking it too far Dean, I didn't mean it." in a guilty tone, that made Dean struggle to hold back a smile. 

Dean turned around, glaring at Sam before leaning closer to him and tickling his, "You're so gullible!" Dean announced, seeing Sam squirming about on the bed, attempting and failing to get away from him. 

"D..Dean s..stop!" Sam blurted out through laughter but Dean shook his head, "No sorry little brother." Dean smirked, tickling Sam harder, not noticing how close he is to the edge of the bed until Sam ends up falling on the floor. 

Dean laughed but stopped tickling him, not wanting to take it too far because he wouldn't be able to stand it if Sam was mad at him too. 

"I hate you." Sam glared, punching Dean's arm but the grin on his face told Dean that he didn't mean it. 

"It's good that I feel the same way about you then." Dean chuckled, punching Sam back on his arm before moving onto his own bed and sitting down as Sam practically threw himself onto his bed. "Get some sleep bigfoot." Dean said, noticing how tired Sam was and at least a couple of hours had past since they returned to the motel room. 

"Night midget." Sam yawned sleepily and Dean smiled, enjoying it whenever he and Sam teased each other; it never failed to cheer Dean up. 

"Night bigfoot." Dean whispered with a quiet chuckle before standing up and walking into the kitchen area. Dean was determined to prove to their father that his father was wrong and he could be trusted to take care of his brother and be the hunter his father inspired him to be. 

Now that his brother was asleep, Dean searched through the cupboards, soon finding a bag of salt. He ripped open the top of the bag before pouring a thick line of salt onto each window sill, after making sure the window is shut. His attention was then brought to his father's journal lying on the counter and Dean wondered if there were any instructions in there about keeping out certain monsters. He began to flick through it, noticing a two page spread about demons. He read through what his father had written, soon reaching the part about devil traps. 'A devil trap is used to trap demons. You can hide them under rugs or on the ceiling so that the demon doesn't see it. Unfortunately this didn't work on Azazel.' The passage read and Dean guessed that Azazel must have been the demon that killed their mother who their father is having trouble finding. He pushed his thoughts about Azazel to the back of his mind for now and instead focused on making the devil's trap. He found some red paint in the cupboard and walked over to the front door and painted a large circle with a star and other symbols inside, that Dean had noticed on his father's drawing next to the passage. Once he was finished, Dean waited for the paint to dry -which thankfully didn't take long- and pulled a rug over the top of it. It was unlikely that they would get attacked by demons but if by chance his father saw the trap then Dean hoped that it would restore some of his trust. 

Dean refilled his gun with salt and grabbed a chocolate bar from the fridge before sitting down on his bed. Hours passed as Dean flicked through the many pages of his father's journal, not looking for anything in particular, he just found it interesting to look through. 

Dean quickly looked up when he heard banging on the door, soon seeing the door fly off its hinges. Dean quickly grabbed his gun from his bedside table before aiming it at a man who had entered the room. "Who are you?" He asked as he advanced towards the man, keeping his gun aimed directly at him. 

"Hello little Winchester. Which one are you? The older one?" The man asked and Dean was confused about how he knew his name. "Answer the question. Who are you?" Dean asked firmly, not wanting to fire the gun in case it woke Sam up, but if he had to then he would. "I'm sure your daddy knows." The man smirked and Dean's eyes widened after he saw the man's eyes turn jet black and it was then that he realised the demon his father was hunting this afternoon is standing right in front of him. 

"Y..you killed my mother." Dean accused but the demon shook its head. "Nope. Wrong demon." He smirked, "You Winchester's think you're so clever." The demon continued and Dean took a step back, his hands shaking a little because he'd never been up against a demon before or even helped his father on a hunt and despite being trained all his life to fight these monsters, Dean could still feel fear brewing inside. But his fear faded as quickly as it came when the demon stopped suddenly and lifted back the rug, cutting Dean a death glare after noticing the devil's trap. 

"We might not be clever but we're always one step ahead." Dean smirked, before grabbing his flask of holy water from his bag and splashing it over the demon, seeing it burn and hearing it let out a scream; Dean didn't notice that his father was watching him from the window, he was just doing what he had to do to protect Sam. 

"I saw you coming back from that play area. I was there. Did you wonder why there was nobody in a popular restaurant on a Saturday?" The demon asked and now that Dean was thinking about it, he had noticed that there was something strange about that restaurant, especially that woman who had dragged Sam out of the ballpit; at the time Dean swore she had black eyes but he ended up shrugging it off, thinking he was seeing things because it was getting dark. "It was me. I didn't throw you out because I wanted to let you play in the arcade." The demon added and it wasn't long before Dean realised what it had really been up to. 

"Y..you stalled us getting back here so that dad would get mad and leave the house. You were after me and Sam." Dean said, figuring it out in his head as he was speaking. 

The demon let out an evil chuckle, "It's not you I'm after Dean, it's your brother." The demon replied which only angered Dean more. "Well you're not going to get him." Dean replied with anger as he threw more holy water over the demon again, getting a strange feeling of satisfaction as he hears it scream. 

Dean only noticed his father after he saw him run into the room and grab his journal, "Nice job son." His father praised which made Dean smile proudly, glad that he's once again made his father proud. 

"Have a nice trip to hell, we hope you don't enjoy your stay." Dean smirked, tantalising the demon which only makes the demon angry but not an ounce of fear enters Dean, because he knows that the demon is powerless in the devil's trap. 

He then watched as his father read the exorcism outside, seeing the demon putting up a struggle but it isn't long before black smoke erupts from the man and goes through a red hole that had formed in the ceiling. Experiencing his father in action made Dean want to join his father on more hunts and the feeling Dean got of saving someone at the end of it was the best feeling in the world, because he hadn't just saved his family but the person being possessed too. 

The man woke up, his breathing quickening as he looks around the room, his eyes resting on Dean and his father. "W..where am I? How did I get here?" The man asked quickly through fear and Dean let his father handle this, unsure if they should tell the man that he was possessed by a demon, because Dean's certain that it would freak anybody out. 

"You were drunk at the bar so I brought you here but you collapsed on the floor." Dean's father explained, before seeing the man giving him a grateful look. "Thank you." The man said gratefully, before standing up with Dean's father's aid. 

"I'm going to drive this man to the nearest taxi service, you wait here Dean." His father said and Dean obeyed, locking the door after his father leaves and refilling his flask of holy water. He put the flask into the front pocket of his bag before sitting on his bed, waiting for his father to return. Dean couldn't stop smiling to himself; he'd fought his first demon and despite not actually being the one to exorcise it, Dean had brought it upon himself to trap it; he wasn't even thinking about what the demon meant when he said he'd come after Sam. 

Dean stood up when he saw his father return, giving Dean a grateful look. "You did good tonight son. It was nice work putting a devil's trap under the rug. I should have more faith in you to keep your brother safe." His father praised him and at that moment Dean was grinning from ear to ear with pride. But his grin quickly faded when his cheek started hurting, reminding him of the harsh things his father said earlier; the things that Dean had pushed aside to cheer his brother up.

"Dean, I know I went off on you earlier and it was wrong of me to do so. I understand you wanted to take Sammy out for a meal but I hope you understand that I don't want anything to happen to you boys." His father explained, his tone not as firm as it was before and Dean knew that his father struggled when it came to showing love so he decided to forgive him.

"It's alright dad." Dean replied before sitting back down on the bed, this time pulling the duvet over him. 

"And I know I've been harsh on you boys so if you and Sammy want to start going to school then you can." His father continued, which surprised Dean because their father had always been against him and Sam attending school and despite knowing that his father's good mood -and possibly even his view on this- isn't going to last for long, Dean agrees to it mostly for Sam's sake. 

"Yeah we'd like that." Dean replied, even though he hated the idea of going to school because the classes sounded boring, but he knew that Sam would like it. "Night dad." Dean added, before turning off his bedside lamp and lying down, his mood having improved drastically since this morning.


	4. Movie Night

That was the best night's sleep Dean had had for a while and he woke up in a really good mood, noticing his father sitting at the dining table, flicking through his journal. Dean pushed back the duvet and climbed out of bed, carrying his clean clothes into the bathroom to get changed.

He put on his usual dark t-shirt with thick plaid shirt over the top and jeans. He then brushed his teeth which left a cold minty freshness in his mouth. He then combed his hair, putting in his usual side parting and styling the front of his hair so it would stick up a little. 

When Dean left the bathroom he noticed Sam stirring, realising that he'd just woken up and seemed to be trying to go back to sleep. Dean was glad that Sam hadn't heard any of the commotion that happened during the night, because the last thing Dean wanted was for Sam to find out there was a demon in the motel room last night; it would terrify the hell out of his innocent little brother!

Dean sat down on his bed, turning on the radio that was on the bedside table and smirking evilly to himself after hearing 'Heat of the Moment' playing, which happened to be the song Sam hated the most. Sam turned the dial on the radio, causing the song to blast through the speakers, filling the room with 'Heat of the Moment'. 

"Dean!" Sam whined, putting both of his hands over his ears to block out the terrible noise of the song. 

"Rise and shine Sammy." Dean chuckled before starting to sing along to the lyrics of the song, finding it amusing how much Sam hates it. "Come on, I thought you loved this song." Dean teased but was forced to turn the radio off after hearing his father shout, "Dean turn that rubbish off!"

"I don't know what's worse. That song or your singing." Sam joked and Dean pouted, pretending to look offended. "Hey! My singing's like a serenade." Dean exclaimed, watching Sam as he walked into the bathroom to get changed. 

Dean chuckled to himself, today starting off as a good day. He made his way over to the fridge, noticing basic produce inside as well as a loaf of bread on the work surface, which wasn't there last night. "Dad did you go shopping?" He asked curiously. 

"Yeah. I also went to the bank. Yours and Sammy's money is in the envelope. Don't spend it all in one go." His father replied and Dean grabbed the envelope from the counter before putting the money into the inside zip pocket of his bag. 

He made his way back over to the fridge, his eyes widening with delight after noticing some cheese, "Oh yes!" He exclaimed, liking the idea of having grilled cheese for breakfast. 

"Don't go overboard son, that's supposed to last you a while." His father said and as much as Dean wanted to put lots of cheese on the toast, he only put a thin layer, knowing that he had to save some for another time.

Dean also put some grilled cheese under the grill for Sam, once again thinking about his brother rather than just himself. 

As if on cue, when Dean was putting Sam's grilled cheese on his plate, Sam emerged from the bathroom. "Is that mine?" Sam asked after seeing two plates of grilled cheese on the counter. 

"No they're both mine." Dean replied sarcastically, a smile on his face as he handed Sam one of the plates, proving that he was only joking.

"Thanks." Sam said after taking the plate and sitting on the sofa, soon being joined by Dean. 

Dean turned the TV on and began flicking through the channels, noticing that there wasn't much on so he wondered if they were doing anything today, as Dean hoped that maybe they could spend time as a family and do something a normal family would do. "Dad what are we doing today?" Dean asked after finishing his mouthful of food. 

"I have to go out to work today son, so you can stay here with Sammy." His father replied and Dean frowned, disappointed that his father had to go out on yet another hunting trip and was leaving Dean alone with his brother. Dean hadn't noticed it, but he'd started eating his breakfast slower than usual, which indicted to Sam and their father that something is wrong. 

"Are you okay Dean?" Sam asked, which dean would've expected seeing as Sam's really the only person who knows him inside out and is always able to tell when something's on his mind. 

"Y..yeah. I was thinking we could have a movie night but it doesn't matter." Dean replied in hope that their father would change his mind about going on a hunting trip and spend time with his two sons instead; but deep down, Dean knows better than that. 

However, much to Dean's surprise he soon heard his father say, "If I'm back before eight then you boys can stay up later and we can watch a movie." causing a smile to form on Dean's face; something that rarely happens nowadays.

"Okay." Dean replied, grinning from ear to ear with excitement, which only seemed to increase after his father speaks again. "In fact Dean, why don't you and Sammy go out and rent a movie." His father suggested and Dean had loads of ideas of what movie they could watch. "Nothing too scary though. I don't want your brother to have nightmares." His father added much to Dean's disappointment. Unlike Sam, monsters didn't scare Dean as much because from reading his father's journal, he knew how to fight them, therefore he could handle any kind of horror movie without feeling scared -well everything except ones that involve plane crashes. For some reason Dean's childhood fear of heights had turned into a fear of flying, which is why he forces their father to drive everywhere and not take a plane; no matter how much his father looks down on Dean for this. 

"Of course dad." Dean replied, promising their father that he wouldn't choose anything too scary, because despite Dean somewhat enjoying horror films, he didn't want Sam to have a nightmare. 

"Okay. Well I'll be back around eight." His father replied and Dean was relieved when he didn't hear him going through his usual routine of telling Dean to salt the windows and keep the doors locked, as he seemed to trust him this time. 

After their father had left, Dean locked the door and washed up both his and Sam's dirty plates, a smile remaining on his face as he thought about the movie night he was going to have with his family; Dean didn't even consider that his father might let them down, which is something that occurs often. 

Dean slipped on his jacket and pulled on his boots before walking over to Sam, deciding to go and choose the movie now, even though they had the whole day before their father returned. "Come on, let's go." He said and once Sam was ready he walked out the door, locking it behind him and walking down the street with Sam. Even though they were only going to choose a movie, Dean had still brought his salt gun out with him, just in case they were to get attacked by something, he would be able to defend himself and protect Sam. 

When the two brothers entered the shop, Dean was astounded by the array of movies sitting upon the shelves. He instantly made his way over to the horror movie section, dragging Sam along with him; who he noticed was looking over at more light hearted movies. Dean scanned the movies, his eyes resting on one he'd watched a few months ago, which he had to admit did creep him out but he still loved it. "What about this one?" Dean asked, pulling out a DVD case which read 'Nightmare on Elm Street'. 

"No way!" Sam exclaimed, looking away from the case where a creepy silhouette of a man standing in a hallway was displayed. 

"Come on dude, it's not that bad. Besides it has Johnny Depp in it." Dean explained, knowing that his brother likes Johnny Depp, therefore he hopes that it would convince Sam to want to watch it. But much to his disappointed Sam shook his head, "I don't care Dean, I don't want to watch a horror film."Sam replied, forcing Dean to put the DVD back on the shelf. 

"You're such a wimp." Dean teased, chuckling after Sam punches his arm. He then watched as his brother walked over to the fantasy films, when suddenly an idea popped into his head. 

Dean slowly walked over to Sam, a blank expression on his face. He quickly placed his hand on Sam's shoulder, managing to hold back a laugh after Sam lets out a scream and jumps. "Dean!" He whined, punching Dean's shoulder again, but Dean still doesn't react to it, instead he keeps a blank expression. "What's wrong?" Sam asked, a worried look on his face. 

Dean carried on staring at his brother, an evil smirk slowly forming from his blank expression, "Nothing's wrong Sam, I feel great." Dean replied in the creepiest voice he could muster. 

Sam took a step back, "Dean you're scaring me." He said and took Dean a lot of willpower to burst out into a laughter at how easily his brother got scared. 

Dean let out an evil chuckle, "I'm not Dean." Dean smirked, seeing his brother take a step back, accidentally dropping the DVD in his hand. 

"D..Dean stop. This isn't funny." Sam stuttered through fear as Dean took a step closer to him each time he moved back. 

"I told you, I'm not Dean. It's Lucifer here." Dean replied, talking in a deep scary voice. 

"D..demons aren't r..real." Sam blurted out, unaware that he was backing into a DVD rack that a worker had just finished tidying. 

"Keep telling yourself that Sam." Dean spoke, not really thinking about what he just said but there's no way Sam would be able to figure out the truth from a prank Dean's playing on him -or that's what Dean hoped. 

Dean quickly moved towards Sam, letting out a manly growl which made Sam scream before falling backwards into the DVD rack, bringing all the DVD's to the floor. 

Dean burst out into hysterics, not noticing a disapproving look on the shop assistants face after seeing all the DVD's on the floor. "Y..you're so g..gullible!" Dean laughed, unable to string one sentence together without laughing. 

"I hate you!" Sam whined, cutting his brother a glare before standing up and punching his brother's arm, this time doing it harder than before. 

"Ow!" Dean said, rubbing his arm but a grin remained on his face at the amusing image of his brother terrified expression. "Y..your face. You were so scared." Dean teased but his grin quickly faded when he heard what Sam said next. "How are you not scared of that stuff Dean?" Sam asked, at which point Dean regretted what he'd just done and he hoped that Sam wasn't starting to think that Dean knew something he did, because he knew that Sam was already starting to get suspicious about Dean lying to him. 

"Because none of it's real." Dean replied, this time putting on a serious expression to try and convince Sam, but this time Dean noticed a slightly hesitant look on his brother's face, as if he didn't believe him. Dean cursed under his breath, praying that Sam hadn't figured out the truth because that would kill Dean to know that he was the one who's ruined his brother's innocence and put him in more danger than necessary. "Let's pick a film." Dean said to change the conversation, hoping that Sam won't start asking questions when they got back to the motel. 

Dean stood next to Sam as he looked at the fantasy section, seeing him picking up a film about wizards and witches. "Seriously?" Dean asked, once again teasing his brother for picking up a film from the fantasy genre. "What if I pick one and you pick one then we can let dad decide between the two?" Dean suggested, hoping that their father might choose the film Dean picked. This was the one thing Dean disagreed to take Sam's side on, no matter how much it upset Sam if Dean wouldn't let him watch a movie he choose.

"Alright." Sam replied and Dean lead him back over to the horror genre, picking up a film called 'Poltergeist' which had a clown on the front cover. "No we're not watching that!" Sam exclaimed and Dean sighed, "Dad might pick your film. He might want to watch something with unicorns and magic." Dean replied, taking the film from Sam's hand and paying for both of them. 

On the way back to the motel, Dean brought a cheese onion pasty for Sam and a pie for himself, seeing as it was past lunchtime. As soon as they got inside, Dean started eating, not caring that he was getting crumbs down the front of his shirt. Once he was finished who put the plate in the sink -not bothering to wash it up- and sat down at the table, opening his father's journal. 

Dean should have known better than to think that Sam wouldn't start asking questions because it isn't long before he hears Sam ask, "Where does dad really go?"

"I told you. He's on a business trip." Dean replied, which wasn't a complete lie because their father was out working, but there's no way Dean is going to tell Sam exactly what kind of work he's doing. 

Sam shook his head, once again not believing Dean's lie, "He's always on a business trip. What does he do?" Sam asked. 

"You know that. He sells stuff." Dean replied simply, hating to have to lie to his brother but he knew it was for his own good. 

Sam sighed, turning his body so he was facing Dean, "I'm old enough Dean. You can tell me the truth." 

Dean looked up at Sam with a serious look on his face, unable to believe that his little brother is so close to finding out what the truth is so Dean gave up on lying because there was no point in it, but he still didn't want to tell Sam the truth. "You don't want to know the truth, believe me." Dean replied, hoping that his brother would leave it at that and not question the topic anymore, but deep down Dean knew that Sam would want to know more. 

"Is that why dad's never here and we don't go to school like other kids?" Sam asked and the last question was what gave Dean a pang in the heart, it now being clear that Sam has noticed that other family's lives are a lot different to theirs. Dean should have expected these things to happen; Sam becoming more aware of what's going on around him and Dean wished he would have been more prepared for this moment. 

"Just forget it Sammy." Dean replied, before quickly adding, "What if we order some pizza for later? So we can eat it while we're watching a movie." He suggested, mostly to change the conversation so that he wouldn't accidentally let anything slip to Sam. 

"Alright." Sam replied, giving Dean a small smile which Dean was happy to see; making his brother happy made him feel happy too. "But do you think dad will show? He always says he will but he never does." Sam asked. 

"He'll be here." Dean assured him, although he knew that their father often came back home a lot later than he says he will, and sometimes doesn't return until morning, therefore Dean just hopes that this time he's right. 

****** ****** ******

Much to Dean's relief, Sam didn't ask anymore questions and by the time evening came round, Dean ordered themselves a large pizza -to share with his brother- and a small one for their father. By the time the pizza arrived it was already past eight O'clock and there was still no sign of their father. 

Dean placed both pizza boxes on the table, handing Sam his plate and putting one on the coffee table for their father, along with a box of napkins beside the pizza boxes. Dean sat down, taking a slice of pizza from the box and starting to eat it, glancing out the window every now and then to see if their father has returned. 

"He's not going to show is he?" Sam asked, disappointed that once again their father had let them down. 

"I'm sure he would've been here if he could." Dean replied, feeling bad for Sam because their dad was always missing things that they'd planned to do with him and he even missed a couple of Sam's birthday's, which had clearly upset Sam a lot, no matter how much Dean had tried to make the day special for him. 

Sam shook his head and Dean only felt worse after seeing tears forming in his brother's eyes. Dean placed his hand on Sam's shoulder, "But that doesn't mean that we can't watch a movie. We can even watch your stupid fantasy one." Dean suggested in an attempt to cheer his brother up. 

"It's not stupid." Sam defended with a weak smile, and Dean watched as his brother put the disk into the DVD player situated on the TV stand. However when the DVD started playing, Dean could hear a screeching noise coming from the DVD player. He knelt down beside the TV, taking out the DVD and noticing several scratches on the back of it. "That's not gonna play properly. I'm so sorry Sammy." Dean apologised, feeling bad for his brother as everything seems to be going wrong tonight. 

"That's alright Dean. We'll watch this." Sam replied and Dean was surprised when he saw him hand him the horror movie he picked out. 

"Really? I thought you didn't like horror." Dean questioned, not minding if Sam didn't want to watch it, no matter how much Dean wanted to.

"I guess it's okay." Sam said and before Dean had the chance to say anything else Sam had already inserted the disk into the DVD player and the two brothers returned to their previous positions on the sofa. 

"You know what this requires?" Dean asked, walking over to the light switch and turning out the light, "Immersion." He grinned before returning to Sam's side as the movie started. Despite horror movies not scaring him that much, Dean still preferred watching them in the dark because he loved to feel immersed in them. 

Throughout the movie Dean kept sniggering whenever Sam would jump or bury his face behind the cushion he was clutching onto as if he life depended on it. And the back of the sofa facing a black abyss wasn't helping Sam whatsoever. "Dean I'm scared." Sam eventually whimpered, hiding his face in the cushion so that he couldn't see anything. 

Dean paused the movie and turned the lights back on after an idea came to his mind, which he thought would be quite a fun thing to do, no matter how childish it seemed. "Look, there's nothing there Sammy. It's just a movie." Dean assured him after seeing Sam repeatedly looking behind him. "I've got an idea." Dean added, before taking all the cushions off the sofa and chairs around the room and placing them on the floor in three stacks of the same height. He signaled Sam to get off the sofa, before grabbing a sheet from his bed and draping it over the cushions and down the back of the sofa with Sam's help. "See? We have our own pillow fort now. No monsters can get us." Dean announced, before ushering Sam into the pillow fort and sitting down with their pizza box and drinks in the middle of them. 

Dean smiled as he watched Sam look around the fort in awe and he remembered a time when they attempted to build one when Sam was a toddler and Sam -being his usual clumsy self- kept knocking it over. "This is great Dean!" Sam exclaimed enthusiastically and Dean un-paused the movie, taking another slice of pizza as he started watching it again. 

Every time a clown was shown on the screen, Dean could see Sam cowering away from it, which proved that Sam's childhood fear of clowns still remained. Therefore it wasn't long before Dean felt his brother clinging to his arm, burying his head in Dean's shoulder to hide from the clown. This time, Dean didn't tease his brother about being scared and instead put his arm around Sam and hugged him, feeling Sam clinging tightly to his shirt. "It can't hurt you Sammy, it's just a film." Dean reassured him, but he knew that Sam would be relieved once this film is over. If Sam was this scared of a movie with fake ghosts and clowns which were harmless, then Dean couldn't imagine what finding out that monsters are real would do to him.


	5. Suspicions

Sam listened to Dean's reassuring words and focused completely on the sound of Dean's heartbeat, which he could hear due to how close he is to his brother. Despite deep down knowing that monsters weren't real, he felt safe around Dean even more so now that they were in the safety of the pillow fort. 

During the rest of the film Sam didn't even attempt to look up and felt relieved when it was finally over. He pulled away from Dean, looking around at the pillow fort, when suddenly he heard a crash outside, causing him to let out a whimper and bury his head in Dean's shoulder. Sam did feel a little embarrassed about how he's acting, because the film didn't seem to scare Dean whatsoever, in fact nothing scared Dean -except for flying of course. 

"Sammy it's just the wind outside." Dean assured him but all Sam did was nod. "Come on, it's late. We should get to bed." Dean suggested and to Sam that felt like the worst suggestion in the world at the moment, because he didn't want to move from the safety of the pillow fort. Sam shook his head, giving Dean a puppy dog eyed look, which his brother couldn't resist. "Fine we can stay here." Dean replied much to Sam's relief. However Sam suddenly felt fear brewing inside him after he saw Dean leave the pillow fort and he let out a whimper of fear, pulling his knees to his chest. "D..Dean?" Sam whimpered, relaxing when he sees Dean return with two duvets and Sam's teddy bear.

"I was only at the other side of the room Sammy." Dean assured him and Sam took one of the duvets, thanking Dean quietly after he hands him his teddy bear. 

Sam straightened his pillows before lying down, every now and then glancing over at the entrance to the pillow fort, terrified that a clown would appear there. "Don't worry Sammy, this is a monster free zone. No clowns, ghosts or monsters can get in." Dean reassured him and Sam -being quite naive- believed him and cuddled his teddy bear up to his chest. 

Sam gave his brother a half smile, "Night Dean." He whispered before tiredness caught up with him and he fell into a sleep filled with scary images of clowns. The nightmare continued for a couple of hours before Sam quickly sat up, panting heavily and his eyes darting around the dark pillow fort, noticing a clown at the window. "Dean..Dean!" Sam shouted, shaking his brother to try to wake him up. 

Dean groaned, "I'll have the special." He murmured, once again dreaming about food which usually Sam would find amusing, but this time he's too scared to take it in. And it wasn't until Sam shouted, "Dean help me!" and buried his head in his teddy bear, that Dean woke up. 

"Sam what's wrong?" Dean asked and Sam looked up, his eyes widened when he spotted a knife in his brother's hand and due to it being quite dark in the room, Sam thinks the clown is Dean. "G..get away from me!" Sam blurted out through fear, ignoring the tears that are rolling down his cheeks. 

"Sam it's me. It's Dean." Dean replied but Sam was convinced that Dean was a clown so he shook his head frantically. "No you're not Dean!" He cried, his body trembling violently. 

"Sammy listen, nothing's gonna hurt you." Dean said softly and this time Sam managed to calm down, eventually realising that it is only Dean because nobody else calls him by the name 'Sammy' -except Dean and their father.

Sam let out another whimper of fear before throwing himself into his brother's arms, clinging to him tightly, trusting Dean to keep him safe. "T..there was a c..clown. I..I'm s..scared Dean." Sam spluttered out through fear, feeling Dean's hand touches his head and running his fingers through his thick hair. "Sammy there aren't any clowns. You're safe with me." Dean whispered softly, before reaching to the side of him with his other hand and pulling out a torch. "Here, keep that on if you feel safer." Dean suggested and Sam looked up, the light from the torch illuminating the pillow fort and the area outside it, causing Sam to relax a little when he doesn't see anything. 

Eventually Sam started to feel tired again, but he didn't want to leave Dean's side because he trusted Dean to protect him, and he knew he could always rely on his big brother. "You look tired Sam, get some sleep." Dean suggested quietly and the simple thought of moving away from Dean terrified little Sam. "Fine, you can sleep with me sasquatch." Dean gave in and his teasing brought out a small yet weak smile from Sam. 

"Thanks Dean." Sam yawned before grabbing his teddy bear and soon drifting off to sleep. 

Much to his relief, this time Sam's sleep wasn't filled with nightmares or scary images of things that go bump in the night, instead he slept peacefully and woke up quite late in the morning; the first thing he noticed however was that Dean was no longer by his side. He rubbed his eyes as he sat up, climbing out of the pillow fort and seeing their father's car parked on the driveway. Sam put his teddy bear on his bed before walking over to the window, spotting his father and Dean talking to another man; their father look rather angry with the stranger. 

So wanting to see what the commotion was about Sam pulled his blue plaid shirt over his t-shirt and ran outside, the door slamming behind him which causes everybody's attention to turn to Sam. 

"Sammy get back inside." His father ordered sternly, but when Sam sees his father pointing at gun at the other man's head he advances towards Dean; disobeying his father's command which Sam knew there would be consequences for but he needed to see what was going on because he had feeling they were trying to hide something from him.

"What's going on?" Sam asked, looking at Dean because he was the one that usually gave him answers, although recently he had been very distant with Sam. 

"Dean take your brother inside." Their father said, signalling Dean over to the motel. "But Dad.." Dean began but trailed off after seeing his father's warning glare, which indicated trouble if he disobeyed him. 

"No I want to know what's going on!" Sam shouted, hearing the strange man chuckle and for a moment Sam thought he saw sharp teeth in his mouth. 

"Dean!" Sam's father shouted firmly and Sam felt his brother grabbing his arm before practically dragging him into the motel. "What's going on? Who is that?" Sam asked, an endless amount of questions flowing through his mind and he couldn't understand why their father had let Dean outside but not Sam. 

"It doesn't matter Sammy. It's just someone dad doesn't like so don't worry about it." Dean replied but this time Sam didn't believe him as he was certain that there was something that nobody was telling him and he was determined to find out what it is. 

"Nobody ever tells me anything." Sam sighed in annoyance, making it clear that he didn't believe Dean's lies. 

"Then quit asking." Dean replied simply and Sam looked out the window, growing confused when he's unable to see his father or that stranger in sight; they must have gone somewhere. 

For the next couple of hours Sam sat in front of the TV not really watching it, instead he was trying to figure out what it was that Dean was hiding from him; little did he know that he's better off not knowing the truth. "When's dad gonna get back?" Sam asked, turning around to face his brother who was sitting on his bed flicking through the pages of their father's journal. 

"Later." Was all Dean replied, seeming to be getting more and more distant with Sam since this morning. 

"Where is he?" Sam continued to ask, hoping that Dean might accidentally let something slip, but he knew his brother better than that; Dean was always careful with what he said, so it would be nearly impossible for Sam to get anything out of him. 

"On business." Dean replied and Sam leaped over the back of the sofa and sat down opposite Dean, on his own bed. "Dean please tell me the truth." He begged, putting on a cute expression which usually Dean wouldn't be able to resist. 

"I am telling you the truth." Dean said, closing the journal so that Sam couldn't see it because the last thing Dean wanted was for Sam to find out the truth about monsters. 

"You're not. Dean, I'm not stupid, I'm old enough to know." Sam stated which only earned him a look from his brother, telling him to keep quiet, but this time Sam ignored it, determined to find out what Dean's hiding. 

"There are some things we don't talk about, and this is one of them." Dean replied, this time not completely telling a lie but hearing this only made Sam grow more curious. 

"Like we never talk about mum or why we don't have a home like other kids?" Sam continued and suddenly Dean snapped. He wasn't angry with Sam, just annoyed that his little brother was less than an inch away from figuring all this out. "Shut up! Don't you ever talk about mum, ever!" Dean shouted, before brushing past Sam. 

"Where are you going?" Sam asked, not meaning to upset Dean but he was beginning to think that Dean didn't trust him, which for Sam was the worst feeling in the world. 

"Out!" Dean yelled and he left followed by a slam of the door.

Reaching into his bag, Sam felt around for the comforting soft ball of fur, which never fails to make Sam feel good, and pulls out his teddy bear, nestling his face into its fur. After a few minutes he wiped a stray tear from his cheek and stared at the bear, letting out a heavy sigh. "You seem to be the only one who trusts me. I don't get what Dean's hiding from me, surely I'm old enough to know. He trusts me with everything else, just like I trust him." Sam spoke quietly, despite knowing that his teddy bear couldn't hear him but he didn't care; he needed someone to talk to and his teddy bear was the only thing that would listen to him. 

Sam trusted Dean with everything, he told him all his secrets so Dean constantly lying to him about something hurt little Sam a lot. He just didn't understand what could be so bad that Dean didn't want to tell him. 

Sam's eyes wandered over to Dean's bed, resting on their father's leather journal. Dean sure did spend a lot of his time reading it and never let Sam even lay one finger on it otherwise he was dead -which were Dean's exact words. Though Sam never went snooping through Dean's or their father's stuff but this time it was different; he just had to find out what is being hidden from him and now Dean's gone it's the ideal chance. Sam put his teddy bear aside and grabbed his father's journal before sitting on the bed. With one last look to see if Dean was returning, Sam opened the first page of the journal where a weird symbol had been drawn on underneath the name 'John Winchester'. At the bottom of the page was another name in messier hand writing so it couldn't be Sam's father's. 'Henry Winchester' the writing read which raised more questions for Sam because as far as he knew they didn't have any other relatives except for their uncle Bobby. 

Sam turned onto the first page, noticing the word 'Hunting' written at the top of it and at first Sam just thought of regular hunting where you hunt animals but when he looked further down the page he realised that the contents of this journal were far from normal. 'Trapping demons to exorcise them can be tricky but the other day Bobby showed me how to make a devil's trap, which is what is drawn at the side of this text.' Sam read before looking at the side of the page, noticing a pentagram with weird looking symbols in the middle. 'Holy water and salt works too, especially when it comes to forcing the demon into the trap.' Further down the page there was a paragraph in a form of Latin which Sam couldn't read but he guessed it must be an exorcism to send the demons back to hell. 

Sam continued to flick through the pages. There were passages about demons, ghosts, vampires, shapeshifters, the list was endless and the more Sam read the more intense the nausea feeling got and Sam was beginning to regret looking in the journal and wished he'd just listened to Dean and not tried to find out what he was hiding. The horror movie they watched last night seemed like nothing compared to what Sam was reading and the most scary part was that it was all real. 

Sam was about to close the journal when a date caught his eye: 'November 2nd 1983' which Sam recognised as the date of their mother's death. Sam wasn't sure if he wanted to read on because suddenly the sound of a car crash didn't seem so bad but curiosity soon overwhelmed him again and he began to read the passage. 'I've noticed many electrical faults in this area recently but I doubt if it's anything. Since Sam was born Mary and I have decided to give up hunting because it isn't right to bring two children up around monsters. I want them to have a normal life which is something Mary couldn't have. We started the day off by having breakfast. I swear Dean never stops eating, he must have hollow legs or something. Later that day we took Sammy and Dean to the park where Dean played on the swings with this girl, who he seems to have become quite good friends with. Unfortunately it wasn't long before we had to go home due to there being a big thunderstorm but that didn't ruin our day because I played cards (snap) with Dean whilst Mary was cooking dinner. I much prefer this life and I'm sure Mary does too.' 

Much to Sam's surprise a smile had formed on his face as he continued to read the passage, feeling glad that Dean had had a few years of a normal childhood, even though the same couldn't be said for Sam and he knew that this nice family bonding moment would get ruined by something; he just had that horrible gut feeling about it. 'I didn't write much today because there wasn't much to say, that was until later that night not long after I had put Dean to bed -Sammy having been in bed for a few hours now. I heard crying during the night but this time I let Mary deal with it, guessing that Sammy must be thirsty or something; however it wasn't long before I heard a scream. I sprinted to the door of my youngest son's room, only to find the yellow eyed demon I had been hunting before Sammy was born standing over Sam's crib. At first I didn't see Mary but when I saw the demon looking up at the ceiling that's when I noticed her...the rest is too painful for me to write because we not only lost our home but now the boys have to grow up without a mother. I will find this demon and I will make him pay for what he's done to this family.' 

Sam put the book down and grabbed his teddy bear, hugging it close to his chest as tears fell down his cheeks. This was all too much for Sam and no matter how much he wished it wasn't true, he knew it was because their father wouldn't make up something that horrible.


	6. Some Things are Better Unknown

Dean couldn't believe it. His little brother who he'd tried to shadow from all of these things was on the brink of finding out the truth. With the endless amount of questions it was difficult for Dean not to accidentally let something slip, especially since the one thing he hated the most was lying to his brother when he was the one who trusted Dean the most. 

Dean walked round to the side of the motel, not wandering far from Sam in case he needed help; Dean would never forgive himself if something bad happened to him and he could've prevented it. He was sure that Sam probably thought Dean was angry with him, but that wasn't the care because it was himself who Dean was angry at and he needed some time to cool off so that's why he came outside. 

He paced up and down outside the motel, pulling his phone from his pocket and dialing Bobby's number. "Hello Dean." He managed a smile as he heard a familiar gruff voice on the end of the phone. "Hey Bobby." Dean greeted. Other than Sam, Bobby was the only other family member Dean had who understood him and how difficult it is to keep this from Sam; their father wouldn't understand, he would just threaten Dean and tell him to keep his mouth shut. Bobby was also a hunter much like themselves and their father often took Sam and Dean to go and visit him whilst he went on a hunting trip. Dean loved going to Bobby's. 

"Everything alright? You seem quiet." Bobby pointed out and Dean kicked the wall, not meaning to show that he was upset because that was a sign of weakness in his father's eyes but Dean knew that Bobby wouldn't judge him for it; in fact Bobby and his father didn't always see eye to eye. 

"I can't do it anymore Bobby. Sam saw a vampire and started asking questions." Dean explained quietly, not wanting anyone to overhear this otherwise they'll think Dean's gone crazy. 

"What did you tell him?" Bobby asked.   
"I told him he was seeing things but he wouldn't have it, not this time. He said he's old enough to know but I can't corrupt his mind like that Bobby." Dean explained, letting Bobby know how desperate he was to not let Sam find out; little did he know that he was too late and Sam was reading through their father's journal as they spoke. 

"Well he is old enough. You were younger than him when you found out. You can't keep this from him forever Dean." Bobby explained much to Dean's disappointment. This was like a nightmare come true. He would much rather go up against a demon right now. 

"I'll keep it from him for as long as I can." Dean replied stubbornly. 

"Which won't be very long." Bobby argued, "You boys are hunters and there's no getting out of this life." He continued and for some reason this caused Dean to snap; he guessed it was because of the pure desperation he had of Sam not finding out. 

"No Bobby! He's not finding out. Not if I can help it." Dean raised his voice before ending the call, not thinking twice about the consequences of hanging up on Bobby; but he was so annoyed that Bobby believes that Sam will fine or sooner or later and Dean was willing to do whatever he could to prevent it. 

Dean shoved his phone into the back pocket of his jeans, taking deep breaths and pacing up and down at the back of the motel to try and calm himself down before he went back inside to see his brother. 

Eventually after having calmed down, Dean took one final deep breath before entering the motel room, seeing Sam sitting on the couch watching TV. Much to Dean's relief it seemed like that's all Sam's been doing while he was gone, but little did he know that he was wrong. "Hey Sasquatch." Dean grinned, showing his brother that he wasn't mad at him. However Dean's grin faded as he watch Sam get up off the sofa and go over to sit on his bed. "What's up with you?" Dean asked, sitting down opposite Sam on his own bed, after pushing an empty drinks carton and sweat wrappers to the side. 

Dean was about to pick up his magazine, a little hurt by Sam ignoring him but his attention quickly turned to Sam when he heard him say, "I know why you this under your pillow." and in his hand he noticed Dean's gun. 

Dean quickly stood up and snatched it from his brother, shoving it back under his pillow, "No you don't. Quit going through my stuff." Dean replied, cutting his brother a warning glare, as appeared to be closer to finding out than Dean knew. 

Sam ignored what Dean said and proceeded to make it clear that he'd already found out the truth, "And I know why we leave salt everywhere we go." Sam continued which took Dean by shock because he wasn't expecting Sam to have noticed that, as he'd never brought it up before. He watched as his little brother reached underneath his own pillow, his eyes widening when Sam pulls out their father's leather journal. The one thing Dean didn't want Sam to read. He cursed himself for not taking it out with him. 

Dean quickly stood up, towering over Sam, "Where did you get that? That's dad's! He's gonna kick your ass for reading that." Dean raised his voice; he wasn't angry with Sam for finding it, he was annoyed with himself for being so careless and leaving it lying around for Sam to read. 

"Are monsters real?" Sam asked, but knew as well as he did that his little brother already knew the answer. 

Dean shook his head, "You're crazy." He replied, hoping that there's a small chance he'll be able to keep the truth from Sam for longer, but when he heard Sam say "Tell me." he knew that there was no escaping telling him the truth this time. 

Dean bit his lip, hoping that this is just a nightmare and he'll wake up in his bed with his innocent brother next to him and things will be fine, but deep down Dean knew that that wasn't going to happen. He sighed, sitting down on his bed, looking away from Sam and quickly blinking back the tears that had formed in his eyes. Over the years Dean has learned the hard way so when it comes to hiding his emotions from other people he's an expert at it; his father had always drummed into his head that crying is a weakness and he didn't want Sam to have to see him weak. 

He looked back at Sam, seeing him sitting on the edge of his bed, waiting for an explanation that Dean was dreading giving him. "So the first thing you need to understand is that we have the coolest dad in the world. He's a superhero." Dean began, hoping that by calling their father a superhero then the truth might not sound as bad to Sam, because Dean remembered when he found out it terrified him and his father hadn't even attempted to soften the blow, he just told Dean how it was. 

"He is?" Sam asked, seeming unsure.

"Yeah." Dean replied before taking a deep breath, unable to believe that he was about to say this to his brother, "Monsters are real. Dad fights them. He's fighting them right now."

"But dad said that the monsters under my bed weren't real." Sam replied with the innocence that Dean wished he could keep, but this was it. Sam knew and there was no turning back. Dean looked down, a half smile forming on his lips as he said, "That's because he'd already checked under there." 

He couldn't help but notice the fear and disappointment that was present on his brother's face afterwards, which only made Dean regret this more. "But yeah.." He began, looking his brother in the eye, letting him know that was he was saying is 100% true, "Pretty much everything's real." 

"Is Santa real?" Sam asked, which made Dean smile once more; his brother was so innocent, it was adorable sometimes, but there's no way Dean would admit that, especially to Sam. 

Dean shook his head, "No." He replied, knowing that most kids Sam's age don't believe in Santa anyway therefore sooner or later Sam would find out the truth from their father. Every Christmas he and Dean always argued about whether or not Sam should find out. 

It broke Dean's heart to watch Sam's disappointment increase, as all he wanted was to make his brother happy and Christmas was one of the only times Dean could give Sam a somewhat proper childhood; even if it did mean him going out into the cold of the night and taking presents from other houses. 

"If monsters are real then they can get us. They can get me." Sam began to panic which Dean expected because this is quite a big thing to find out, especially for child like Sam. 

Dean looked Sam in the eye once more, "Dad's not gonna let them get you." He assured his little brother but Sam still seemed worried, which Dean thought was understandable. 

"But what if they get him." Sam panicked once more and Dean shook his head slightly, resting his arms on the edge of his bed. "There not gonna get dad. He's like the best." Dean replied, not making that up to make Sam feel better; he genuinely thought that their father was the best hunter around. Even Bobby had told him that. 

"I read in dad's book that..they got mum." Sam spoke, this time in a quieter and much sadder tone. Usually they would never talk about their mother, as it hurt Dean too much that they couldn't save her, but now Dean knew that he had to tell Sam the truth. He opened his mouth to say something about their mother but instead the words "It's complicated Sam." came out; Dean was still unable to talk about their mother even though Sam now knew everything. 

"If they got mum then they can get dad, then if they get dad they can get us." Sam replied, speaking quickly which meant that it took Dean a while to realise what he just said. 

Dean moved onto Sam's bed after seeing his brother look at the floor, not noticing the tears in his eyes because of how dark it is in the room. "It's not like that." Dean reassured him, putting his arm across his brother's shoulders, "Okay? Dad's fine. We're fine. Trust me." He continued, biting his lip after seeing Sam wiping his eyes. "You okay?" Dean asked softly, not teasing his brother for being upset because he knows that this is a lot to take in. 

"Y-yeah." Sam nodded, his voice cracking as he spoke which told Dean otherwise. 

"Come here." Dean whispered, pulling his brother into a hug, "It'll all be better in the morning, Sammy. I promise." He reassured him once more, gently pushing Sam's fringe away from his eyes and hugging him in a protective brotherly way. 

"How old were you after you f-found out?" Sam choked out through tears, clinging tightly to Dean. 

"Four, going on five. I found out as soon as mum..you know." Dean replied with a heavy sigh, "Sammy, I'm sorry for lying to you, but it was all for a good reason. Dad's job..I never wanted you to find out it's all real." Dean explained quietly, feeling a bit awkward because apologising isn't something he does often, but right now he felt that it was necessary to do so. 

Sam sniffled, "It's okay. I understand now why you did it." Sam replied quietly and Dean was glad that his brother had forgiven him for all the lies. But Dean was certain he would never forgive himself for telling Sam about this and it made Dean want to continue to protect his brother from anything that could harm him. After all, he was all that Dean had.


	7. Holy Water

Sam had tired himself out from crying so much in one day, so it wasn't long before he ended up falling asleep in Dean's arms. After everything he'd found out, Sam felt safe when he was close to Dean, trusting him to protect him should something bad happen. 

Dean couldn't help but smile at how cute his brother looked nestled into his arms and he wiped the remaining tears from Sam's cheeks before lying down and covering them both with the blanket; deciding to stay with Sam throughout the night. 

Nightmares didn't haunt Dean's sleep but he woke up during the night when he felt Sam stirring, seeming to be having a nightmare but unable to wake up. "N-no." He heard Sam murmur over and over again in his sleep, his fidgeting getting worse. Dean pulled Sam closer to him, resting his brother's head on his chest and stroking his hair gently. "Shh. It's okay, Sammy. I'm here." He whispered softly, cursing under his breath when it didn't work and instead Sam ended up pushing him away, obviously oblivious to it being his big brother. 

Dean remembered a song his mother used to sing to him whenever he had a nightmare or had trouble sleeping. It always used to help Dean relax and fall asleep, so he was hoping that it might have the same effect on Sam. 

If Sam was awake Dean would feel too embarrassed to do this because he wasn't the best at singing, but if it would help to calm Sam down then he would be willing to do it. He began to sing quietly, remembering every word of the song because it was one of the memories of his mother that he held onto. And sometimes when Dean struggled to sleep at night and didn't want to wake Sam up, he would think of his mother singing the song and it would help him fall asleep. 

He looked down at Sam as he continued to sing softly, the song being about angels watching over them during the night and keeping the monsters away. Of course Dean didn't believe in angels. He didn't believe there was a God. There was only evil in the world and all he knew was that it was up to them and the other hunters to stop it. 

After a while of Dean singing softly, Sam stopped fidgeting and whimpering, so as the song was coming to an end, Dean moved Sam onto his chest and cuddled him protectively. "Night Sammy." He whispered quietly, glad that his brother is peaceful once more. 

****** ****** ******

Despite having been asleep, Dean's voice had broken through and defeated the terrifying images that were haunting his sleep, allowing Sam to sleep more peacefully. He woke up to the sun shining through the window, reflecting off the black Impala parked outside the motel room. Sam rubbed his eyes as he sat up in bed, spotting Dean and his father talking on the sofa. 

"It looks like lazy bones is awake." Dean teased after noticing his little brother sitting up in bed. "You went to sleep in your clothes and I didn't particularly want to get you changed so I just left you like that." Dean explained after Sam looked down at his clothes in confusion. 

"Now that you're awake, I need to talk to you, Sammy." He heard his father's voice from the sofa and Sam began to irrationally fear that his father would get mad at him for reading his journal. He didn't let anybody read his journal, other than Dean. 

"Yes, sir." Sam said politely, sitting on the edge of his bed, like he had done last night when Dean was explaining the truth to him. 

"I'll begin with what happened last night. It was wrong of you to look in my journal." His father began and Sam lowered his head, expecting his father's voice to suddenly get louder, so what he says next surprises him. "But I understand that you wanted information and it's about time you find out the truth. Your brother was a lot younger than you when he found out so you're more than old enough." He continued and Sam looked his father in the eye, resting his hands on his knees as he did so, showing that he was listening to every word. "Now, the other thing I want to talk to you about is yours and Dean's training." 

"Training?" Came a voice from the other side of the room and Sam saw Dean sitting down beside him. 

"Yes, Dean. You and your brother need to be prepared. You're almost a teenager, Dean, so it's about time you get some training." Their father explained and Sam could tell that his brother was torn at this idea. Dean was almost a teenager and yes, he did want to learn how to hunt and be like his father; but Sam was only eight years old so he wasn't anywhere near ready. What kind of father gives their eight year old son weapon training?

"Dad, Sam's nine years old." Dean argued but soon backed down after catching his father's usual warning glare. 

Sam had subconsciously started biting his lip, as he thought about how much he didn't want to see a monster up close; dreaming about them was bad enough. "Dad, I don't want to hunt monsters." He eventually spoke up in a small voice, giving his father a sad puppy dog eyed look, which always worked on Dean. 

Their father sighed an annoyed sigh, "Fine. I'll take you boys to Bobby's." He replied, but something told Dean that his father wasn't going to let them off this easily. 

Sam smiled, "Great!" He replied and leaped off his bed, beginning to pack his bag. Sam always enjoyed going to Bobby's. Even though he wasn't a blood relative he still treated them like his own sons and Sam loved it when Bobby would do things with them. Things that their own father would never do because he sees them as childish. 

He packed his clothes, toiletries and books into his backpack. Sam always took books with him wherever he went. He adored reading, especially fantasy novels, and right now Sam would do anything to escape the horror that has become his reality. 

"Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone?" Dean questioned, peering over Sam's shoulder. 

"Yeah. It's a good book. You should read it." Sam replied, even though he knew he brother wasn't into reading books as much as he was.

Dean scoffed, but half smiled at the same time, "No thanks." He replied as expected. Sam then watched as his brother reached into his back pocket and pulled out a gun. "Dad wants you to have this." He said, and Sam's eyes widened. 

"N-no. It might go off and I don't know how to use it." Sam replied, feeling nervous about using a gun because he'd never touched one in his life, let alone used one.

"It won't. You'll be fine." Dean replied, but Sam still pushed the gun away and shook his head, when Dean moved it towards him. Dean didn't want to upset his brother or make him feel even more on edge so he pocketed the gun, deciding to just give him a flask of holy water, because there's no danger to that. "Then take this. If a demon tries to attack you -which I doubt it will- just splash it with holy water." Dean explained and this time Sam did take the flask from him, putting it into his back pocket. 

After both of the brother's made sure they'd gotten everything, they followed their father outside to the Impala. When Dean speed up, Sam did the same, the both of them aiming to reach the front seat of the car before the other. "I call shotgun!" Dean shouted. "No you rode it last time!" Sam called back, trying to run faster to catch up to Dean, and by the time both of the boys reached the Impala, they were out of breath. 

"Too bad." Dean chuckled before climbing into the front seat as Sam got into the back. 

When he got into the car, Sam had forgotten to check the cap on his flask of holy water so he just clipped his belt on and retrieved his book from his bag. Sam didn't care if Dean thought he was a nerd. He loved books and that was something that wasn't going to change. 

Bobby's house was a couple of hours drive from the motel, so Sam read his book for the entire journey; however when they were not much more than five minutes away from Bobby's, Sam felt an uncomfortable wet feeling beneath him. 

He looked down at the front of his trousers, confused when he couldn't see a wet patch, and he didn't need the toilet so he ruled that theory out. He began fidgeting as it got more uncomfortable, trying to avoid the wet area of the seat but the seatbelt was restricting him. 

"Sam, you okay?" His dad asked, glancing in the mirror and seeing Sam's discomfort. 

"Y-yeah." Sam replied. He wasn't embarrassed, he was just worried that his father would tell him off, even though it wasn't him who had wet the seat. Their dad had always been very protective over his car and hated it if either of the boys somehow messed it up. 

Much to Sam's relief, his dad didn't question him further and it wasn't long before they pulled onto the dusty driveway, parking up next to Bobby's blue truck. 

Sam was about to get out when he saw his bottle of holy water lying open on the seat. He bit his lip, glancing fearfully up at their father momentarily when he realises what's happened. "Sam come on!" Their dad shouted impatiently, banging on the window of the car.

Sam hesitated, he didn't want his dad to find out he'd spilled holy water over his seat, but he soon found himself being forcefully pulled out of the car by his arm, his eyes meeting his father's aggravated expression, which was enough to scare anybody. "You left the holy water in your pocket." His father stated angrily.   
"S-sorry sir." Sam murmured guiltily.

"Now you've ruined the car!" Sam's dad shouted which caused young Sam to jump, hating it when his father shouts.

"Dad it's just water. It'll dry!" Dean spoke up, not wanting his little brother to get upset again. 

Sam shot Dean a scared look, tears forming in his eyes, which he knew his father would disapprove of, but just when his dad opened his mouth to say something else, Sam felt relieved when he head a familiar gruff voice from behind them say, "John, leave the boy alone." And as soon as Sam was free he rushed to Dean's side, who put his arm across his shoulders.

John Winchester huffed, cutting his youngest son a glare but he did what Bobby said and stood down. Bobby was the only person brave enough to stand up to John and he would always listen, especially when it came to the two boys. 

"I'll be back tomorrow night. Dean, take care of your brother." Their father said and Dean nodded before watching him leave. 

He looked down at Sam, taking his arm off his shoulders and giving Bobby grateful look. 

"What happened?" Bobby asked and Sam gave him a sad look, wiping away the remaining tears which were clouding his vision of the bearded man. 

"I spilled holy water over the seat, but it was an accident and dad flipped out." Sam explained, knowing by now that Bobby won't have the same reaction. 

"Don't worry about it, son. Your daddy can have a temper sometimes." Bobby assured him and Sam nodded, feeling better now that he was with Bobby and hopefully away from any monsters. "Now, why don't we go inside. Unless you idjits want to stand out here all day." He added and Bobby's sense of humor never failed to bring a small smile to Sam's face.


	8. A Hunter's Dog

To Sam, Bobby's house was like home. Despite it not being a large house, Sam still adored it because it was a nice change to being locked up in a stuffy motel room.

He opened the door to his and Dean's bedroom and rushed towards the bed closest to the wall. After what he'd found out last night, Sam feared waking up and seeing the face of a creature at the window, so by facing the wall he knew he wouldn't start hallucinating things. 

He dumped his bag at the side of his bed and sat down. The beds at Bobby's house felt like heaven compared to the hard-as-a-brick motel room beds. 

Sam soon saw Dean enter the bedroom, followed by Bobby, which made him wonder if Bobby knew about Sam finding out the truth. 

This was confirmed however when Sam heard Bobby say, "I hear you're aware of the family business." And Sam nodded slowly, shuddering at the memory of what he read in his father's journal. 

Sam stared down at his black trainers, only looking up when he felt Bobby's arm across his shoulders. "I know it's a lot to take in, son. But trust me when I say this. Your daddy and me aren't going to let anything hurt you boys. Your daddy's one of the best hunters out there and I'm a hunter too." Bobby explained as softly as his gruff voice would go and Dean nodded, as if to tell Sam that he could trust what Bobby was saying. 

"It's just..what happened to mum..." He trailed off and Dean sat at Sam's other side after seeing the tears in his eyes. "Do you know what...what killed her?" Sam asked, his voice trailing off into a quiet squeak. 

"No, but we'll find out what." Bobby replied and Dean places his hand on his brother's shoulder, "And whatever it was won't live to see another day. Dad will make it pay." Dean added with determination, part of him wishing that he could have a part in this creature's demise. 

Noticing the mood of the room changing, Bobby stood up. “But for today, let’s forget about that. Besides, I have to show you boys something.” Bobby said and Sam’s face instantly lit up. 

“What is it?” He asked excitedly, jumping up from the bed. 

“You boys really have no patience, do you?” Bobby chuckled, before signalling them to the door. 

Both Sam and Dean stayed behind Bobby as they followed him into the living room, where Sam’s mouth dropped open slightly, the corners of his mouth curling into a smile. “Bobby, is that yours?” Sam asked. Lying in the living room was a jet black puppy wearing a brown collar and nametag. 

“Yes. What did you think? I was looking after the president's dog.” Bobby joked, ruffling Sam’s hair. 

When Sam ran over to the puppy, it cowered away from him, which upset Sam a little because he’d always wanted a dog, but their father had never let them due to constantly having to move around. It wouldn’t be fair on the puppy. “He’s shy with new people, but he’ll get used to you.” Bobby explained and Sam knelt on the floor, deciding to try and approach him in a different way. He knelt down on the rug, slowly putting his hand out to the scared puppy. “It’s okay, I won’t hurt you.” He assured him softly, smiling when the puppy sniffs his hand, its fur tickling him a little. Sam reached out his other hand and gently stroked the top of the puppy’s head and it wasn’t long before it felt comfortable enough around Sam to go closer to him. 

Sam couldn’t stop smiling as he hugged the puppy gently, feeling it licking his cheek which made Sam let out a childish giggle. “Yes, I’m your friend too.” Sam giggled, talking to the puppy as if it could understand him. 

Sam eventually looked up at Bobby, keeping the puppy in his arms, “What’s his name?” He asked, as Bobby hadn’t told either of them the puppy’s name yet. 

“Rumsfeld.” Bobby replied. 

“Hey Rumsfeld, I’m Sam.” Sam smiled, hearing the puppy bark twice in response. 

Dean stood next to Bobby, smiling as he watched his brother interacting with the puppy, glad that Sam was having fun for once. 

Sam waved one arm at Dean, “Dean. Come say hello to him.” He called and despite not being as obsessed with puppies as his brother was, Dean decided to introduce himself to the puppy for Sam’s sake. 

Dean stepped forward before kneeling down beside Sam; however the puppy took one look at Dean and whimpered, cowering into Sam’s arms. Sam stroked the puppy’s head, “Hey, it’s okay. That’s my big brother. He might look scary but he’s the best brother anyone could have. He won’t hurt you.” Sam reassured the puppy in a soft tone. 

Dean rolled his eyes, “Thanks Sam.” He replied sarcastically. 

Sam could tell that his reassurance hadn’t helped the puppy because Dean was being too loud. “Dean, you have to be quieter and hold your hand out to him to let him sniff it.” Sam instructed, still talking quiet, being careful not to startle the puppy. 

Dean sighed, giving Dean an annoyed look as he slowly held his hand out for the puppy to sniff. He watched as Rumsfeld moved hesitantly towards him. A small smile soon formed on Dean’s face when the puppy eventually moved from Sam’s lap and closer to Dean. 

“He likes you.” Sam said which only made Dean smile more. Neither of them had had a friend, due to never going to school so now that Bobby had a puppy both of the brother’s couldn't feel happier. But Dean being Dean was reluctant to show how he really felt about this so he handed the puppy back to Sam, “That’s cute but being friends with animals if your speciality.” Dean teased, standing up and brushing the hairs off his jeans. 

Sam hadn’t noticed that Bobby had left until he heard Rumsfeld bark and struggle to get out of his arms. Sam looked up, seeing Bobby return to the room with a white baseball in his hand. “Been as it’s a nice day, how about we take Rumsfeld out for a walk.” At Bobby’s suggestion, Sam grinned, putting the black puppy down and racing over to Bobby, taking the brown leash from his hand and returning to Rumsfeld.   
Sam attached the leash to the collar of the excited puppy, which was now barking and failing to stay still. Once Dean and Bobby were ready, Sam lead Rumsfeld outside, tightening his grip on the leash so that he didn’t run off. 

Bobby’s house was surrounded by trees, fields and woodlands which both of the brother loved going in with Bobby; he would never let them go out on their own just in case they ran into any danger. Sam began walking slightly ahead of Bobby and Dean, almost jogging to keep up with Rumsfeld; so he didn’t hear what his brother and Bobby were saying about him.

“He seems oddly happy despite what he found out last night.” Bobby pointed out to Dean. 

“He wasn’t last night. He wouldn’t leave my side.” Dean replied in no more than a whisper, still feeling concerned about how his brother is dealing with this. Despite Dean often bottling up his feelings, Sam had always been the one to let them show and he saw no shame in doing it and showing his weak side. 

“Maybe that’s a good sign. I mean, your brother seems happy with that dog so that could be what he needs to take his mind off it. He’s stronger than you think. He will pull through this.” Bobby emphasised. 

“I hope so.” Dean murmured, looking ahead at Sam and managing a smile when he sees him happily skipping alongside Rumsfeld. 

Dean signalled to Bobby to hand him the baseball, getting the childish need to play fetch with the puppy. “Hey Sasquatch!” Dean called and when Sam turned to look at him, Dean threw the ball, giving Sam an ‘are you serious?’ look when he was oblivious to it going straight past him. Dean then chuckled when Rumsfeld practically dragged Sam towards the ball and Dean ran after them. 

This was the most fun Dean had had since he took his brother to that restaurant and this time he knew that nothing could disrupt their fun. 

Dean held his hand out but when Rumsfeld wouldn’t give him the ball he managed to gently prise it out of his mouth, stepping back when the puppy attempted to jump up at him, only reaching his knees. Dean chuckled, “What’s wrong, buddy? Looking for this?” Dean teased and Rumsfeld back as if to say ‘yes’. Dean took another step back before throwing the ball further down the woodland path, grinning when he sees Sam struggling to keep hold of the leash as Rumsfeld runs ahead. 

Dean throws the ball a couple more times, but on the third time Sam’s arm was getting tired so his grip on the leash had unconsciously slackened, causing him to accidentally let go of the leash when Rumsfeld runs after the ball again. “Crap.” Dean said under his breath, before running after Rumsfeld with Sam close behind him. 

Dean wasn’t taking notice of where they were going. He didn’t even know how far they’d gone away from Bobby; however when they finally found Rumsfeld lay on the ground, chewing the ball, Dean let out a sigh of relief. He didn’t want Bobby to get mad at them for losing his dog. 

Sam squatted down beside Rumsfeld, as Dean stayed where he was standing, seeing as Rumsfeld seemed to prefer Sam, which Dean wasn’t too bothered about. “You scared us. We thought you’d run off.” Sam said, stroking Rumsfeld’s back whilst holding him in his arms and standing up, handing the ball to Dean, who gave Sam a disgusted look.   
“I’m not carrying it. It’s got dog germs on.” Dean said, pushing Sam’s hand away. Sam gave Dean a look of disapproval before putting the ball in his jacket pocket and doing up the button, struggling to do it with one hand due to holding Rumsfeld with the other. 

“You’re such a girl.” Sam teased, grinning when Dean punches the top of his arm. 

“Says you.” Dean glared playfully, but his expression soon dropped when he looked around, not recognising any of their surroundings. “Sam, do you know where we are?” He eventually asked. 

“No.” Sam replied simply, trying not to panic because he hoped that Bobby might find them soon, but being on their own in the middle of a forest, after finding out about monsters being real, terrified Sam. 

“Great.” Dean huffed, pacing up and down before kicking a stone across the floor and into a bush, hearing loud rustling afterwards. 

“Um..Dean. A stone isn’t supposed to make that much rustling, is it?” Sam asked quietly, staying close to his brother’s side, whilst hugging Rumsfeld, who had started fidgeting to get out of Sam’s arms. When Sam put him down he heard Rumsfeld growling at the bushes, as if something was in there. Sam gulped, holding Rumsfeld’s lead tightly, pulling him back as he edged towards the bush. With his other hand, Sam hand unconsciously been gripping onto Dean’s shirt, standing behind him a little; his initial thought being that it was some sort of creature. 

It wasn’t long before the boys saw a silhouette emerging from the bushes and Dean quickly brought the shotgun out of his pocket, but as whoever it was got closer, both Sam and Dean relaxed after seeing that it was only Bobby. 

“Bobby.” Sam breathed in relief, but Dean didn’t put his shotgun away, because it seemed like there was something different about him. And what Bobby asked confirmed this to Dean, “What are you idjits doing out here?” because surely Bobby would know that they’re looking for Rumsfeld, wouldn’t he?

The next clue only made Dean grow more suspicious. Rumsfeld started tugging on his lead, snarling at Bobby as if he didn’t recognise him. Dean held up his gun, which was filled with silver bullets, remembering reading in their father’s journal about shapeshifters; creatures that can form the shape of any person and animal they want. Though Dean wasn’t completely sure if his theory was right and he couldn’t just bring himself to shoot Bobby without knowing for sure. 

“Dean what are you doing?!” Sam asked, whilst struggling to hold Rumsfeld back, who was now barking as well as growling; they didn’t realise that he was trying to alert somebody who was close by.

“Your brother’s lost his mind.” Bobby spoke up before Dean could get a word in. 

“You’re not Bobby.” Dean pointed out, narrowing his eyes into a glare as he took a step in front of Sam, in order to protect him from harm's way, just in case this was a shapeshifter. 

Suddenly the shapeshifter went to grab Sam, but before it could, Dean heard a voice shout “Get out of the way!” from behind them, so Dean grabbed Sam’s arm, pulling him out of the way and turning his head away from the creature as he heard gunshots. Despite him knowing about monsters, Dean still wanted to protect Sam from somethings, and a shapeshifter being shot was one of them.   
After the gunshots had stopped, Dean looked up, his eyes meeting Bobby’s and this time he knew it was really him. “Thanks Bobby.” Dean let out a breath, looking down at Sam who was trembling violently. 

“W-was the Bobby?” Sam murmured, taking Rumsfeld into his arms for comfort. 

“No. It was a shapeshifter, but that’s Bobby.” Dean explained softly before signalling to the real Bobby, “Can’t you tell by how grumpy he is?” Dean added jokingly, in an attempt to cheer Sam up.

“Careful boy. This gun’s still loaded with bullets.” Bobby threatened and Dean chuckled, but put his hands up in defense, giving Bobby an innocent look. 

Dean and Bobby’s argument worked to cheer Sam up and he eventually put Rumsfeld down, though looking at the dead body of the shifter made Sam feel sick, so he quickly diverted his eyes away. But he felt safe around Bobby, especially since he just saved them. 

“Let’s go back. I bet you idjits are hungry.” Bobby said, putting his arm across Sam’s shoulders to guide him away from the shapeshifter. 

“You guessed right Bobby.” Dean smiled. Because of constantly sacrificing his own food for Sam and sometimes even not eating anything, whenever he was at Bobby’s, Dean used to eat like he was about to go into hibernation for the winter. 

Dean didn’t know why the shapeshifter had come after them or why it was disguised as Bobby, but right now all her could think about was keeping Sam safe and that they were going to have lunch soon. Food was always important to Dean, even if he did occasionally have to skip meals.


	9. The Harvelles

Once they got back to Bobby's, Dean draped his jacket over the end of his bed, before going into the living area where he saw Sam rolling the ball back and forth to Rumsfeld. To Dean, Sam seemed oddly calmed after just going up against his first monster. It definitely took Dean longer to adjust to this life and he'd expected it to take Sam longer. 

"You okay, sasquatch?" Dean asked but Sam just nodded, not looking away from the black puppy in front of him. Dean bit his lip, unsure what to say to Sam to convince him to talk to him; he wasn't the best when it came to comforting people and making them feel better. 

Dean saw Bobby in the kitchen, reading some kind of book whilst making lunch and he guessed it wasn't a recipe book. Bobby wasn't the best when it came to cooking, in fact all he'd made them for lunch were sandwiches, but Dean didn't mind. It was better than what he usually got when they were staying in motels. 

Dean made his way over to Bobby and once he reached the counter he realised what Bobby was reading. It was a lore book on different creatures, that happened to be open on a chapter about shapeshifters. 

"How's your brother doing?" Bobby whispered, also noticing Sam's silence. 

Dean glanced over at Sam before moving closer to Bobby so that they could talk without Sam overhearing. "He's never this quiet, Bobby. It's definitely bothering him, no matter how much he says it doesn't." Dean replied, giving Bobby a worried look to show his concern. 

"You shouldn't pester him, Dean. Maybe it just needs to sink in." Bobby suggested but Dean wasn't fully convinced. Nobody knew Sam like he did, and his brother told him everything. 

"He saw a shapeshifter, Bobby. This is Sam we're talking about. He can't even watch a movie with toy clowns in." Dean stated, taking his and Sam's plates and carrying them over to the sofa. "There's a sandwich there if you want it." Dean informed his brother who just looked up at him and said, "I'm not hungry." confirming that something was wrong. 

"Sammy, you have to eat something. Come on, otherwise I'll eat it." Dean said, trying to encourage him by joking, although he wasn't completely joking because if Sam didn't eat it then Dean would consider it. 

Sam eventually gave in and sat down beside Dean. It wasn't that he didn't enjoy Bobby's cooking; he did. But what he found out last night was still sinking it and after seeing that shapeshifter earlier, Sam wasn't sure how to feel. To him, it seemed like this stuff didn't bother Dean at all, so he was trying not to show any fear, because he wanted to be brave like his big brother.

In reality, Sam couldn't stop thinking about monsters so he was only slowly nibbling at his sandwich, staring off into space, and it wasn't until he heard Rumsfeld let out a bark, that he looked up. He saw Bobby putting down two bowls and Rumsfeld trying to jump up to reach them. 

"Alright, alright. Patience." Bobby grumbled which brought a weak smile to Sam's face. When he was with Rumsfeld, he felt like a normal child, who has a proper home and family. Rumsfeld always helped him to forget the bad stuff and not to mention, he felt safe around him. Although, it wasn't like he didn't feel safe around Dean and Bobby too; of course he did, it was just that Rumsfeld felt like a guard dog to Sam. 

Now that Rumsfeld wasn't around him, scaring images had begun to enter Sam's mind. Images of what he read in his father's journal and that shapeshifter they found in the forest. The plate in Sam's hand was shaking from how much his hands were trembling, so he put the plate down on the coffee table and left the room. He needed some time to himself for a bit, without Dean asking if he'd alright. 

He entered his and Dean's room, sitting down on his bed and pulling his teddy bear into his arms. He put his back against the wall, feeling safe that way. "S-stop." He whimpered, burying his head in his pillow, wanting the terrifying images to stop entering his head. He wished he could go back in time and stop himself from reading his father's journal; some things were better unknown, and this was definitely one of those. 

Suddenly, Sam heard the sound of floorboards creaking and his thoughts jumped to it being some sort of create, so when he felt something -or someone- touch him and quickly pushed them away. "Get off!" Sam shouted, throwing his teddy bear to the side and sitting up. He looked over at the other bed, noticing that somehow he'd manage to knock Dean over. 

"Sammy! What the hell?" Dean exclaimed in shock, moving to his brother's bed and sitting beside him. Sam had taken Dean by surprise; he hadn't expected him to lash out like that, but Dean was also a bit impressed, because Sam had managed to push him onto the bed with one push. He wasn't aware that his little brother was that strong. 

"I-I thought you were a creature." Sam eventually admitted, looking away from Dean, ashamed of how scared he is. 

"I'll try not to be offended by that." Dean joked, biting his lip when he sees how worried Sam looks, as if Dean's going to be mad at him for some reason. "Dude, talk to me." Dean spoke gently but Sam shook his head. Dean shuffled closer to his brother, putting his arm across his shoulders, showing that whatever it was Dean wasn't going to judge him for it. 

Sam slowly looked up at his brother, his tearful eyes matching Dean's green ones. "How are you not scared of this stuff, Dean?" He asked quietly, before leaning his head on his brother's shoulders. 

Dean shrugged, "It was scary at first, I guess, but that stuff doesn't bother me anymore. You get used to it, Sammy and you shouldn't let it bother you like this." Dean replied, unsure what to say, as he wasn't good at comforting people so he just hugged Sam after he felt him wrap his arms around him. 

"I know dad doesn't approve of fear." Sam announced. Dean clenched his jaw, knowing that their father's expectations are going to be difficult for Sam, because despite the two brother's getting along very well, Sam was different to Dean in many ways. One of which, being that he never hid his emotions. 

"I'm not dad." Dean replied simply. Despite not liking to show fear himself, he wouldn't judge Sam for doing so. In fact, he would prefer it if Sam told him how he truly felt because then Dean would try to help him. "And as long as I'm around, nothing bad is gonna happen to you." He added, stroking his brother's thick hair from his eyes and wiping the remaining tears away. 

Suddenly, Dean heard what sounded like a truck pulling up outside Bobby's house on the dusty driveway, followed by the sound of Rumsfeld barking and Bobby telling him to be quiet. Dean was filled with disappointment, his first thought was that their father had come back early, but when he heard a female voice, he realised that he was wrong. It was a very rare that they got visitors. On the occasion Rufus would come over, but other than him nobody visited Bobby's house; he hardly ever worked with other hunters, other than Rufus. 

It wasn't long before they heard Bobby's gruff voice shouting, "Sam! Dean! Get yourselves in here." from the living room. Dean pulled away from the hug, giving his brother a small reassuring smile before standing up. 

When he and Sam entered the living room, they saw a dark blonde haired, wearing a black t-shirt and blue denim shirt over the top. Beside her there was a blond haired girl who can't be much younger than Sam. 

"This is Ellen, a family friend. She's a hunter too -well her husband is. She runs a pub a few hours from here. She's picking up her husband from town so she dropped in for a bit." Bobby explained. 

"I'm Dean. This is Sam." Dean introduced himself, before signalling to Sam who just gave Ellen a shy smile. 

"They're definitely John's boys." Ellen commented and Bobby chuckled, "And Dean here is just as stubborn as him." He teased, ruffling Dean's hair, which caused him to glare at Bobby, pushing his hand away. 

"Why don't you kids go outside? Me and Ellen have some catching up to do." Bobby suggested. Dean ran off, grabbing the football he and Sam always played with whenever they came here. 

"Let's go!" Dean suggested excitedly, but soon noticed that the little girl wasn't moving from her mother's legs. Dean wanted to make a good first impression, therefore he didn't want anybody to feel left out. "Are you coming?" He asked, holding the football under one arm. 

The girl looked up at her mother, as if to ask for her permission. "Go on. Those boys are nice." Ellen attempted to encourage her, but the girl stayed put. 

"Yeah, we won't bite. And Sammy here is a bit girly himself so you won't feel out of place." Dean joked, grinning at Sam who just cut him a glare. 

"Ignore my brother. I'm Sam." Sam smiled after giving Dean a look to tell him not to say anything. 

"I'm Jo." The girl replied quietly, seeming to be opening up to Sam. 

"How'd you do that?" Dean asked, confused about why she wasn't very confident around him. 

Sam shrugged innocently, unsure what Dean meant, "What?" 

"Nothing." Dean smiled, shaking his head to let Sam know that it didn't matter. 

Ellen ushered Jo forward and she eventually did follow the two brothers outside. 

Despite Bobby not telling him to watch out for Sam and Jo, Dean was planning on doing it anyway; even though he was only thirteen, he felt like they were his responsibility. 

They didn't venture too far from Bobby's house and only went up to the gate, separating the house from the forest; Dean didn't want another encounter with a shapeshifter. This time, however, Dean had grabbed his silver knife on the way outside and hid it in his pocket. 

"Are we playing football?" Jo asked, her voice still quiet as she didn't feel completely comfortable around Sam and Dean. 

"Well we're not playing dolls house." Dean replied, it coming out harsher than intended. 

"Dean." Sam gave him a warning look, telling him not to be so harsh to Jo, as she'd only just met them. 

Sam put his hand on Jo's shoulder, giving her a guilty look after noticing how upset she looks, even though it wasn't him who had been harsh to her. 

After seeing his brother's look and the sad expression on Jo's face, Dean approached Jo, feeling bad for upsetting her. "I'm sorry..I didn't mean to be horrible. We can play a different game if you don't like football?" He suggested, not wanting Jo to feel left out. Even though Dean often put on a tough act, he still didn't like upsetting people. 

"Hide and seek." Jo suggested, which seemed to excite Sam too. When he was younger, Dean used to play hide and seek a lot around Bobby's house and out in the front yard. There were so many places to hide, and despite now being a teenager, the childish side of Dean wanted to play it. 

"Great. You two go and hide, I'll count." Dean instructed before turning around and closing his eyes. 

"Dean, put your hand over your eyes. I don't trust you when it comes to cheating." Sam joked, grabbing Dean's hands and putting them over his eyes.

"I'm offended you'd think I'd cheat, Sammy. I play fair." Dean replied dramatically, though behind his hands he was actually grinning. 

Dean counted to twenty before opening his eyes and removing his hands from his face. He decided to check Bobby's garage first, because that's where Sam always hid whenever they played this game. 

Bobby's garage was filled with tools, boxes and his slightly rusty, blue truck, but there was no sign of Sam anywhere. Dean even checked inside the truck but he wasn't in there either. Samsquatch has actually gotten more creative with his hiding places, Dean thought to himself with a smile. He exited the garage and decided to go out to the yard, wondering if Sam had hidden in there instead; that's where Dean usually hides.

The yard was quite large, but filled with old cars and car parts which Bobby uses to build cars. Whenever Sam wanted to be his usual nerdy self and sit inside and read, Dean would go outside with Bobby and watch him work on the cars. Cars always interested him and he hoped that at one point in his life, his dad would let him drive the Impala. 

After a few minutes, Dean caught sight of somebody's boot, but when he walked around the back of the car, he noticed that it wasn't Sam; it was Jo instead. "Found you!" Dean announced, trying to hide his worry of where Sam might be. He never hid in very good places and often remained in the close vicinity of Dean. 

"Where's Sam?" Jo asked, after seeing Dean looked frantically around for his brother. 

He shrugged, letting out a deep breath that he wasn't aware he had been holding. "I don't know. Maybe he's gone inside." Dean hoped that that would be the case, otherwise he wasn't sure where Sam went, because he doubted he would go into the forest again. 

Dean signaled to Jo to follow him, as he didn't want to lose her too. He burst into Bobby's house and straight over to where Bobby and Ellen were sitting, Bobby holding a glass of whiskey in his hand. "Did Sam come through here? We were playing hide and seek but we can't find him." Dean explained in a hurry. 

"No, I didn't see him come through here. Have you checked the garage?" Bobby asked. 

"Yeah. He's not in the yard either." Dean replied, his heart sinking and panic brewing inside him at the thought of losing Sam. 

"He's got to be somewhere." Bobby said. Dean began pacing, running his hands through his hair. "I'll check outside again." He announced, before leaving the room. 

"Sam!" He shouted, "I've found Jo, you've won!" He continued, shouting his brother's name repeatedly at the top of his lungs. He approached the fence at the line of the forest, noticing that the gate was open slightly. "Sammy!" He yelled, before running his hand down his face. Dean's panic only increased when on the ground he noticed blood and from how the leaves were scattered around, it looked like there was a sign of a struggle. Someone -or something- had Sam. He knew it and it was his fault for not looking out for him.


	10. Responsibility Failure

Dean couldn't run fast enough back to Bobby's house and he burst inside, leaning on the door frame as he caught his breath. 

Everybody in the room turned to Dean after seeing the worried look on his face. "Sam's gone. Something got him." He spoke quickly, unsure if anybody heard him. 

"Something has Sam." He replied simply, giving Bobby a look of pure worry. "I think it's took him into the forest. There was blood on the floor, Bobby. We need to look for him." Dean continued, feeling sick with worry. He would never forgive himself if something happened to his brother. 

"Alright. Ellen and I will go looking for him. You stay here with Jo." Bobby instructed and despite liking Jo -as a friend- Dean didn't want to stay here. 

"No, Bobby. I'm coming." He said stubbornly. Usually Dean wouldn't argue with Bobby, but whenever Sam's involved, he'll do anything. "Bobby, please." He practically begged him. 

"Your daddy hasn't given you any training-" Bobby began but Dean cut him off, "Then let's start now!" Dean raised his voice, not in anger but in worry. Waiting here in suspense would just kill him; he wanted to be out there, hunting whatever creature took Sam. 

Seeing Dean's concern and knowing how stubborn he can be, Bobby eventually gave in. He guessed it was best that Dean learnt now than later. "Alright, but if you see anything, shoot at it with this. It's a gun that's filled with silver bullets and this.." Bobby trailed off before handing Dean an old, brown drinking flask, "And that's holy water. I'm thinking it's a shapeshifter that's taken Sam, seeing as we saw one earlier, but just in case it's something else, we should bring holy water and salt with us." Bobby explained. 

Dean put the flask of holy water in the back pocket of his jeans; his gun in his belt; and finally the silver knife Bobby had given to him, into the inside pocket of his jacket. Dean already knew how to use everything, due to his father showing him. 

Finally, there was no more sitting in the wings and leaving all the action to his father. Dean was getting involved and was going on his first hunt to save his brother. 

"Be safe Bobby." Ellen said once they were ready. Because Dean was going, Ellen had decided to stay here and protect Jo, should the shapeshifter decide to come after them. Ellen and her husband were hunters too and it made Dean wonder if Jo knew about the hunting business.

"We always are, Ellen." Bobby assured her before ushering Dean outside. 

Bobby looked down at Dean, who was filled with determination and trying his hardest not to show any worry or fear; he knew that would be a weakness and make him more vulnerable. Although, at the back of his mind, he couldn't stop thinking about Sam. What were they doing to him? Where had they taken him? And was he still alive? That last question caused a lump to form in Dean's throat, which he quickly swallowed, regaining his previous determination. 

"Right. Keep your knife in your hand, but in the opposite one to what you use your gun with. I trust you know shapeshifters are allergic to silver, so I want you to try and cut it with silver, and use the gun if needed." Bobby explained and Dean nodded as he took it all in. 

Keeping the gun attached to his belt, Dean held the knife in his left hand so that he was ready to use the gun should he need to. He followed Bobby through the metal gate, trying not to let the blood on the floor bother him, because being a hunter means that blood and gore is something you have to get used to. 

He remained close to Bobby's side, his knife held close to his side as he walked down the woodland path, stepping over the large roots poking out of the muddy ground. Dean checked his watch. It had been twenty minutes and they still hadn't found Sam. Dean gave Bobby a worried look, "Bobby what if Sam's..." He trailed off, unable to say the word; it was unthinkable. He couldn't imagine losing his brother, especially if it was under his watch. 

"He won't be. That kid's stronger than you think." Bobby assured Dean, who kept following him slowly. They soon reached an old, derelict shack next to a stream. On the wall of the shack there was a smear of blood and Dean exchanged looks with Bobby, wondering if this is where the shifter has taken Sam. 

"If you stay out here, I'll get Sam. I don't think John would approve if both of you got hurt." Bobby suggested, but Dean being just as stubborn as his father, wouldn't just sit there, do nothing and wait for Bobby to return. He wanted to be in there, saving Sam. 

"I'm not a kid anymore, Bobby. I can handle a couple of shapeshifters and if Sam's in there then I have to help him." Dean argued and when Bobby opened his mouth to argue back, Dean cut him off, "And I don't care if I get hurt. If Sam's hurt or..or worse then it's on me."

"Alright, but stay close." Bobby eventually gave in, realising that Dean had the point and if John had his way, then he would've made Dean go looking for the shifter on his own. 

Dean nodded, holding knife out his front of him as he followed Bobby into the shack. It seemed like the more he tried to be quiet, the more noise they made. This shack was old and not to mention incredibly creaky; the perfect place for a shapeshifter to hide. 

They reached a staircase with a few broken stairs and Dean let Bobby go first so he could watch his back should anything try to jump out at them. Suddenly Dean felt something underneath him give way and he gripped onto the banister attached to the wall to try and pull himself up. 

"Dean watch out!" He heard Bobby shout from the top of the staircase and Dean looking behind him, only to find someone -or something- advancing towards him. He felt his heart rate quicken but Dean remembered what his father had told him and tried to keep his panic to a minimum. He clambered up to the top of the stairs, waiting for the person to catch up to him, before launching at it with the knife, in an attempt to cut its arm; he wanted to see if it was a shifter. 

"Dean that's a shifter!" Bobby announced and Dean looked round to see him holding up his phone. 

"How do you know?" He asked and just as Bobby was about to explain that shapeshifter's eyes glow white when being videoed, the shifter grabbed Dean's arm, causing him to drop the silver knife on the ground. 

Dean struggled against the shifter's grip, which seemed to only be getting tighter around his arm; however, with a bang the shapeshifter's body fell to the floor and Dean looked up, giving Bobby a grateful look after realising that he'd just shot it. "Cheers Bobby." Dean said, picking up his knife. 

"You have to be more careful, son." Bobby replied, which Dean chose to ignore. There was no time to be careful when his little brother's life was at stake. They needed to find him fast. 

"How did you know it was a shifter? All I saw was you texting your girlfriend." Dean asked curiously, hoping that whatever Bobby did would help them find Sam. 

Bobby rolled his eyes at Dean's joke, "These phones aren't just for calling and texting, boy. You turn the camera on and if it's a shifter then its eyes will glow white." He explained and Dean reached into the back pocket of his jeans, pulling out his own phone. 

"This could come in handy then." He smiled, before starting to walk down a hallway with a grey door at the end. Now that he knew what to do Dean was feeling confident about finding Sam, though being too confident can sometimes have its consequences. 

Dean slowly opened the door, relief washing over him when he caught a glimpse of Sam sitting on a chair in the corner of the room; however when he properly entered the room he saw that Sam wasn't in a very good state. There was blood down one side of his face, his hands were tied behind his back with rope and from the way his head was hanging, he looked unconscious. 

Dean's heart sank at the sight of his brother looking so helpless, but he didn't have time to dwell on it when he heard the door slam behind both him and Bobby. Behind it stood a dark haired man with a scar running down his forehead and across his nose to his cheek.   
"Winchester. I knew you'd come if I took precious little Sammy." the man chuckled darkly and Dean stepped in front of the chair where Sam was sat, trying to prevent this man from hurting his brother more. 

"What do you want with us?" Dean asked, tightening the grip around the handle of his knife as he held it out to the side, getting read to attack should he need to. 

"That guy you two killed this morning. That was my son." The man replied and for a moment Dean stupidly didn't consider that this man was another shifter. 

Dean put his hands in the air in surrender, "Look, man. That wasn't your son. That was a shapeshifter. Now let Sammy go and we can move on, go our separate ways." Dean suggested, before seeing Bobby give him a look, as if to tell him to check if it was a shifter. 

"Let me think about it..no. My plan is to get revenge on you hunters. And that means all of you, starting with the mop head boy." the man smirked, signalling over to Sam who was still unconscious in the chair. 

"Well, I'm sorry to interrupt such a lovely bonding moment but first I must take a photo. You know, to remember this moment by." Dean replied slyly, before raising his phone and turning on his camera. As Bobby had expected, Dean saw the man's eyes glowing white which told him that he wasn't human. It was the shapeshifter and it seemed like this one was the boss of the pack. 

He put his phone back into his pocket, giving Bobby a subtle nod to confirm that this was a shapeshifter. However, for a moment Bobby stood back which at first puzzled Dean but he soon realised why. This was Dean's problem, therefore he was the one who had to put it right. 

He bit his lip, feeling a bit nervous about having to do this because he'd never killed a creature before, that was his dad's job.   
Dean rested his hand over the handle of the gun that was attached to his belt, taking a deep breath and pushing his nerves aside as he brought out his gun. He held his arm out straight, pointing the gun directly at the shifter's heart.   
In the past, Dean had had some shooting practice with his father, using some bags of flour and tin cans which bulls-eye rings on. After a few practices Dean had managed to shoot in the center of the bullseye, so this time, with there being no bullseye to aim at, Dean chose to aim at the creatures heart; remembering what was written in his father's journal. 'Silver bullet to the heart works best.'

Dean's stepped back when the shapeshifter suddenly launched at him, however with one quick press of a trigger, the shifter fell to the floor. It had all happened so fast that Dean wasn't entirely sure what he'd done but he soon looked up and smiled when he saw Bobby with a proud expression on his face. Dean had done it. He'd killed his first creature; the only problem now was making sure his brother's okay. 

Dean put his gun away, rushing straight to Sam's side. "Sammy!" He called, his heart sinking when he tapped his brother's cheek and he didn't respond. He looked up at Bobby, watching him as he placed two fingers on Sam's wrist to check for his pulse. "Bobby." Dean demanded straight away when Bobby didn't say anything. In this case Dean could only expect the worse. The unthinkable and to know it was his fault, he couldn't live with that. 

However, Dean let out a breath that he wasn't aware he'd been holding when he heard Bobby say, "He's alive. Poor kid must've passed out, but we should get him checked over." 

Dean nodded, swallowing the lump that had formed in his throat as he looked at Sam. As usual Dean held all emotions back, and instead focused on getting Sam to a doctor. 

He stood up as Bobby cut the ropes that were keeping Sam's hands bound to the chair. He then took out his own knife, walking ahead of Bobby -who was carrying Sam bridal-style- out of the shack. He chose to go ahead because Dean still felt the need to protect his family, despite only being a child. 

The walk back to Bobby's was less eventful but the thoughts going through Dean's head were like spaghetti junction. All jumbled up. It was his job to keep Sam safe. He was responsible for that boy and he hadn't only let him down but their father too. He'd placed his trust in Dean to look out for Sam and prevent harm from coming to him and he'd failed. Dean knew their father will be furious when he finds out and he doesn't even wish to think what he'll do to him. 

Dean kicked a stone across the forest floor, pushing open the metal gate once they got to it. He followed Bobby over to his truck, opening the back door as he lays Sam on the backseat. Dean looked over at the drive. He wasn't showing it but he was worried that their father would come back early and find out about this. 

"I'm gonna tell Ellen what happened then I'll take Sam to the hospital. Are you coming?" Bobby asked, which to Dean was a stupid question. Of course he was going with Sam. He wouldn't let him out of his sight again. 

"Yeah. I'll wait in the car." Dean murmured before climbing into the passenger seat. Instead of putting his seat-belt on, he turned around and faced Sam, just being able to reach through the gap in the gap in the seats and touch him. 

Suddenly, for some reason -maybe it was because Sam couldn't hear him- Dean felt like opening up to him. "This is why I lied to you. I didn't want this life for you. It's dangerous, scary and.." He trailed off, running his hand down the side of his face to his chin. "I should've been looking out for you. I should've told you not to go into the forest. I know you count on me, but this time I've let you down. I've let dad down. And for that, I'm sorry." Dean continued, his voice fading into a whisper as he looked at Sam, noticing the bloody cut on his forehead and the swelling on the lower part of his arm. 

Dean forcefully pulled himself together. He couldn't get emotional; he had to stay strong, for Sam's sake and mostly because showing emotions is a sign of weakness in his father's eyes. 

Though, despite not looking at Sam, Dean still couldn't get him out of his head. He didn't even look at Bobby when he heard him get in the truck. 

"Your brother's going to be fine." Bobby assured the brooding Winchester. 

Dean looked at Bobby, failing to hide the pained expression on his face. "I don't want to hear the sloppy 'Sam's going to be fine' speech, Bobby. This is on me." Dean spoke firmly before turning his head away, staring at Sam through the reflection in the side mirror of the truck.


	11. Awake

The drive to the hospital felt like eternity to Dean, who couldn't get Sam out of his mind. Every now and then he would glance behind him to check if Sam was still there. He prayed that he would be okay and would wake up soon, but of course, aside of that, he was also worried about what his father would do when he finds out. 

Sam was lay in the hospital bed with a bandage on his left wrist and stitches in his forehead. They had sedated him so that he wouldn't wake up and be in pain during the procedure and because of this, they had only let Bobby in the room. Waiting outside, not knowing the full story of his brother's condition, had killed Dean. However, when he was finally allowed in Sam's private hospital room -which was at the side of a children's ward- Dean went in and never left his side. 

Over an hour had passed since Sam had been sedated and he still hadn't woke up. The doctors had told them that Sam had only fainted -presumably due to fear- and had banged his head when he fell, but wasn't suffering from a concussion. He had a sprained wrist, but that would be healed within the next few weeks. But despite these minor injuries, Dean still felt terrible about this. 

"Damn it Bobby! It's been an hour and he hasn't woke up yet." Dean announced, pacing up and down in front of the window, separating the room from the corridor. 

"Relax Dean, he'll wake up soon. Don't forget, he's had an anesthetic so he's gonna be tired and won't come round straight away." Bobby explained for the fifth time in the past hour and a half. 

Dean shook his head, running his hand down the front of his face and clenching his jaw, as he tried to hold back the tears that had formed in his eyes. "This is my fault, Bobby. I should've been looking out for him and when dad gets back he's..." Dean trailed off, sitting down on the plastic chair next to Sam's bad; he dare not think that his father's going to do to him when he finds out about this. 

Realising that he wasn't getting through to Dean, Bobby stood up, "I'm gonna get some coffee, do you want anything?" He asked but Dean shook his head, not feeling like eating or drinking. Dean was always hungry, so whenever he was offered food he never refused; the only time he does is when he's saving it for Sam or something bad has happened. "Alright. Sit there and starve then." Bobby murmured which Dean chose to ignore. All he could focus on at the moment was Sam. 

He leaned over the railing of the bed, running his hands through his brother thick hair and watching it flop down onto his forehead. "Sammy, please. I need you man." He whispered and as if on cue he swore he felt Sam's arm twitch and Dean bolted his head up, only to see Sam's eyelids opening. "Sammy!" He breathed in relief before seeing Sam's scared yet confused expression. 

"Dean. Where..where am I?" Sam asked quietly. The last thing he could remember was being tied to a chair whilst a man was threatening to hurt him; he had no recollection of getting to wherever he was no. 

"A hospital. You were out cold when Bobby and I found you. You were taken by a shifter but we killed it and brought you here." Dean explained quickly, deciding to give Sam a proper explanation when Sam feels better. "How do you feel?" Dean eventually asked. 

Sam rubbed his eyes, wincing when he accidentally touches the stitches in his forehead. "I feel..tired and my head's really sore. The man..the shifter cut my forehead, but he stopped before he could do more damage when he heard something downstairs. Was that you and Bobby?" Sam asked, putting the pieces together. 

Dean nodded, "Yeah. We got cornered by more of those skin changing things downstairs, so that's probably what you heard." He confirmed, before standing up and leaning over the banister of the bed, wrapping his arms around Sam the best he could without hurting him or interfering with the wires he's attached to. "Don't ever do that again." Dean said firmly as he felt Sam put his good arm around Dean's waist. 

"I won't." Sam promised, letting out a yelp of pain as he fell back onto the bed. Dean pulled away, giving Sam a concerned look, "It hurts to move and I'm.." Sam got cut off by a yawn, "tired." He finished. 

Dean managed a smile, "Then get some sleep Sasquatch. We won't leave you here." Dean joked, though aside of the teasing, he couldn't feel more relieved that Sam was awake. 

When Dean sat down, he saw Sam staring at him, as if he wanted to ask something but he was too embarrassed to say so. "I know I'm interesting but there's no need to stare." Dean teased, chuckling when Sam turned his head away and looked down at the sheets. 

"I-I'm not." Sam defended in no more than a murmur. 

Despite enjoying to tease his brother, Dean knew that it wasn't appropriate after what happened, so this time he stopped and turned serious. "Seriously though, if I can get you anything the just say."

Dean saw Sam's eyes wander over to the brown duffel bag near the wall opposite and it took him a moment to realise what he wanted; his teddy bear. Sam couldn't sleep without it, especially after the traumatizing experience he went through with the shapeshifter. 

Dean wasn't completely sure if Bobby had packed it, but he chose to look anyway, because he didn't want to let his little brother down. He bent down, searching through the bag, relieved when he finally finds Sam's brown teddy bear. 

Sam looked at his brother in disbelief when Dean returned to his bedside, "How did you.." He trailed off when Dean ruffled his hair. "Because I know you, silly." Dean teased, handing Sam his teddy bear. He smiled a little to himself, as he watched Sam hug it close to his chest and pulled the sheets over him; however not going to sleep. "Now go to sleep Sasquatch, unless you want me to knock you out." Dean threatened jokingly, chuckling when Sam punched his arm softly, guessing that he must still feel weak due to the anesthetic. 

"Whatever jerk." Sam smiled weakly, before closing his eyes and falling asleep. 

Dean stayed with his brother whilst he slept, not wanting to leave his side, despite knowing that he's alright; except that wasn't the reason behind him not wanting to leave Sam. The reason was that in case something tried to hurt him again, Dean wanted to be there to prevent it. He wouldn't let his little brother get hurt again, especially not under his watch. He was supposed to protect him and that is what Dean's planning to do. 

After a while Dean heard the door open and he turned around to find Bobby standing there; however Dean's heart felt like it missed a beat when he saw his father standing behind him, in the doorway. 

"I heard about Sammy, so I had to come straight away." Dean's father announced, but something told Dean that it took a lot of convincing to make his dad come here, because it wasn't like him to leave part way through working a case. 

Dean became overwhelmed by a nausea feeling when he saw the look on his father's face as he walked to Sam's bedside. He knew he was in trouble, and he knew he wouldn't get away with it. Next came the words that Dean had been dreading, "I need to talk to you outside."

Dean stood up, keeping his head to the floor as he followed his father out of the room, hearing Bobby say, "John, don't be too hard on him." but Dean doubted if his dad would listen. 

His father lead him into an empty corridor, just outside the ward. Dean didn't say anything. Instead he was waiting for whatever harsh words his dad would blow at him, but when nothing happened he eventually did look up; of which he soon regretted doing. 

"Dean, I don't know what to say. I told you specifically to look out for him. How many close calls do you need to finally get it through your head? Your brother is vulnerable and it's up to you to look after him and not let him out of your sight." His father began and Dean felt the need to cut in, 

"We were playing hide and seek, dad." Dean defended, backing down when he caught his father's warning stare. 

"You're too old to play such childish games. You need to grow up; both of you. You could've got your brother killed!" His dad raised his voice, which caused Dean to hang his head, this time not saying anything, because he knew it was pointless. His father always won arguments and it only made it worse to argue back. "Now, I heard what Bobby said about you killing the shifter, but I hardly believe that. So I have decided that it's time for you to come on a hunt with me. You can help me finish this hunt. It's only a ghost so a simple salt and burn. You think you can do that?" His dad asked and Dean couldn't help but feel like his father's trust in him had decreased. 

"Yes, but dad, I can't leave Sammy." Dean argued, wishing he didn't have to do this without his brother; he wouldn't be able to concentrate with Sam being somewhere else. 

"Your brother can stay with Bobby."

"But dad..." Dean trailed off after his dad gave him an angry look. "At least let me tell him where I'm going." 

"Fine." His dad eventually gave in. Dean ran quickly back into the ward and over to Sam's bed, where Bobby was sitting, only stopping when he realised that Sam was now awake. 

"Dean!" Sam exclaimed, seeming more awake now than before, "I thought you'd gone. I heard dad was here." Sam continued, before asking, "You won't leave me, will you?" Which only made Dean feel worse. 

"Sammy, I.." He began, biting his lip as he diverted his eyes away from his brother. "Sammy, I'm sorry but dad..he said I have to go on a hunt with him."

Dean watched as his brother's expression dropped, his eyes turning to the railing on the bed. "I'm sorry, Sam." He said, affectionately ruffling his brother's hair, "But you'll stay with Bobby and I'll be back soon." He assured him, trying to make him feel better, even though it was clear that Sam wanted him to stay. 

Dean did want to stay with his brother but he knew that arguing with his father would only make this situation worse and thankfully Bobby soon stepped in. 

"How about I take you to the park on the outskirts of town? We can even bring Rumsfeld." Bobby suggested and Dean gave him a grateful look when he saw Sam's face light up. 

"Yes!" Sam exclaimed excitedly, quickly wrapping both arms around Bobby before wincing in pain. 

"Sorry kid but you'll have to watch that arm, so no going on climbing frames or anything." Bobby replied after picking up on Sam's discomfort. 

Dean soon noticed his father standing impatiently in the doorway to Sam's room and at that point dread filled Dean. He turned back to Sam, giving him a gentle hug -being cautious of his sprained wrist- before pulling away. "See you later, Sam." Dean waved as he left the room with his father, not uttering a word to him as they left the hospital. 

Dean could've sworn he heard Sam shouting his name as they left the ward, so even when they reached the car, Dean remained silent; climbing into the front seat after dumping his bag in the bag. He knew that Sam wouldn't agree to this, no matter what Bobby tried to distract him with and the thought of being forcefully parted from Sam at a time he needed him the most, hurt. 

"Right. I searched all three places where the victims got murdered and at each crime scene there are traces of EMF, which means the things we're dealing with is a ghost. Plus, so far each victim had one thing in common; they went to this bar and they were all drowned in the bath." Dean's father began and Dean looked over at the map his dad was showing him. 

"Titanic? I'll try to ignore the irony in that." Dean smiled a little after reading the name of the bar. 

"There's still one victim's family I have to talk to and that's Mrs Pattinson. Her son was killed only a few days ago and I'm guessing that there'll be EMF around the scene." John continued and Dean nodded to show that he was listening. 

"Did any of the victims have anyone else in common? Like did they each know somebody who would want to hurt them?" Dean asked and he couldn't help but notice that slightly proud look on his dad's face for thinking of that. 

"That's a good thought, son. I'll ask when we get to their house." Dean's dad replied before starting the engine. 

As the car pulled out of the hospital, Dean leaned forward and turned the radio on, trying to find a station that plays good music. He and his father liked the same type of music and whenever they were in the car together they would often sing along to it; Dean missed that father/son relationship they used to have and wanted to do what he could to bring it back. 

Dean soon grew frustrated when he couldn't find a station that played good music and it looked like his father was getting annoyed too. "Look, if you want to listen to music then leave it on one station. Don't keep flicking through them." His father spoke firmly and because he couldn't find the desired station he turned the radio off and sat back in his seat. 

However, for the first time, his father seemed to pick up on Dean's disappointment and when they stopped at the traffic lights he reached into the glove compartment, pulling out a CD and inserting it into the CD drive on the dashboard. 

This didn't catch Dean's attention until he heard the sound of a guitar playing over the speaker. He gave his father a smile and turned the music up louder, starting to sing along to Bon Jovi 'Wanted Dead or Alive'. 

Dean became lost in the music, all the negativity it was feeling earlier had vanished; in this moment it was just him and his dad, and it was perfect. Though, it still didn't feel right without Sam.

About five songs later they reached the house of the victims and Dean's spirits had increased a lot since he'd been singing alongside of his father. He was definitely ready to hunt now.


	12. A Sign of Weakness

The house looked modern and a lot like a family home. Something that Dean's life had lacked since he was only four years old. Even though he couldn't remember much from those four years, Dean would give anything to go back in time to those years; where everyone was happier and they were family.

Dean allowed his dad to knock on the door, as he wasn't the best when it came to talking to people, because he usually left that up to Sam whenever they went somewhere together. Despite Sam being four years younger than him, he was confident when it came to social interactions and that was only one of the reasons why Dean looked up to Sam. 

The door slowly opened and upon seeing John showing the fake FBI badge, a woman unattached the chain from the door, before leading them inside. "I don't understand, why are the FBI involved in this?" The woman asked, as she lead them into the living room, where there was a bowl of potato chips on the coffee table. Dean stared down at them in awe, his stomach letting out a loud rumble as he felt hungry, but with a nudge in his arm from his father, Dean was soon brought back to reality. 

"I just have some routine questions." John replied, sitting down on the sofa, where Dean was also sitting. Dean hadn't seen his father in action before, only when he was trying to protect them. Therefore, he decided to leave the interrogating to his dad and just watch this time, as he didn't want to do something wrong and blow their cover. "Now, did your son have any enemies, Mrs Pattinson?"

The woman sniffled, fumbling around for a tissue and growing frustrated when she can't find one, so Dean reached into his pocket and handed her one of his. "There you go." He said.

"Thank you." The woman replied, before wiping the tears from her eyes.

"It's alright." Dean smiled, giving the woman a gentle pat on the shoulder. However, Dean sat back down after catching his father's stare, which made him feel like he'd done something wrong by attempting to comfort the woman. 

"N-no..he didn't have any enemies." The woman replied after she'd pulled herself together. 

Dean glanced at his father, as if to ask what to do next, after all his dad must have given him an EMF meter for a reason. Dean absentmindedly reached forward, putting his hand in the bowl and eating some potato chips. "These are good." He commented through a mouthful of food. 

"You act like you've never had potato chips before." The woman teased and Dean just grinned at her after swallowing, his ears poking up as he grinned. 

John patted Dean's shoulder, "Dean, didn't you need the toilet before we came here. I'm sure Mrs Pattinson wouldn't mind it if you use hers." 

Dean was about to comment, saying he didn't need the toilet when he saw his father glance down at the EMF meter in his pocket and because of this, Dean knew what he had to do. "Yeah, I still need it." He lied; it felt strange to lie to somebody he didn't know, but from what his father has told him in the past, lying is part of the job. After all, it wasn't like you could directly tell someone you're going into their bathroom to search for ghost activity; they might think you belong in an asylum. 

"Of course. Go upstairs and it's the first door on the right." The woman replied and Dean gave her a grateful look, before running upstairs to make it look like he was desperate to use the bathroom. 

When Dean reached the bathroom he locked the door behind him. He had heard about a lot of his father's hunts but honestly, being in the room where someone died, for the first time, did feel creepy to the hunter in training. 

Dean turned on the EMF meter, pulling out the antenna as he slowly began to move the device around the bathroom. Dean's dad had already shown him how to use an EMF meter, so he knew exactly what to do and what to expect should it pick up electromagnetic waves. When he approached the bath, red and orange lights shot up and down the top of the EMF meter, accompanied by a high pitched sound. There had definitely been a ghost in here, followed by a strong smell of blood. Dean put his hand over his mouth and was about to leave the bathroom, when something caught his eye. He bent down, picking up a blood covered ring. He quickly washed it under the tap, discovering that it was an old but large gold ring with a picture of a woman in the gemstone at the centre of the ring. Dean studied it for a while, until he heard his father calling him from downstairs. "Dean come on!" He heard his father shout once more, so Dean quickly put the ring in his pocket before walking downstairs. 

Part of him felt bad for taking the ring. He knew stealing was against the law, but this ring seemed like it didn't belong to this family; it was too old. 

"Right. We've got all we need so we'd best be off now." John announced upon seeing Dean enter the hallway. 

"Okay. Thank you agent. I hope you'll be able to find the murderer." The woman said, looking at Dean who was fiddling with the ring in his pocket, as if he was nervous that the woman already knew that he'd picked up from the floor. 

"So do I." John replied and Dean nodded, confirming that he too hoped they'd find the thing that's doing the murders. Although, his main reason for wanting this to be over was so he could see Sam again. Not once had Dean stopped thinking about his little brother, hoping that he'd be alright with Bobby and wouldn't be upset with Dean for leaving him. After all it wasn't his fault. His father had forced him to come on this hunting trip as a punishment. However, Dean knew that he deserved to be punished for not following an order, because he could've got Sam killed. He was lucky he didn't. Though Dean still felt guilty about it and would do for a while. Sam was his responsibility and it was up to him to protect him. 

Dean didn't say anything until he got back to the car and his dad parked up in a quiet car park."Apparently Mrs Pattinson's son went to the same bar the other victims did." John explained, which made Dean wonder something. 

"Dad, do you have pictures of the victims? Like, are they wearing a ring like this?" Dean asked, as he brought the ring out of his pocket and showed it to his father. He was hoping that by finding a clue that might help them, then John's trust in Dean would restore, because Dean hated the way his dad had been looking down on him since he almost got Sam killed. 

John looked at the ring, before looking back at the pictures of the victims. Each victim was wearing the same ring. "I've seen this before." John announced, talking to himself. "Come on, we're going to the library." He added.

"What for?" Dean asked curiously, wanting to know what his dad was thinking. Despite his dad not always being nice to them, Dean still admired him and looked up to him, thinking he was smart and a good person. After all, he did save a lot of people. 

John sighed, "Just go along with it, okay?" He snapped and Dean didn't say anything, despite his remaining curiosity. He didn't want to anger his father further, because he didn't like seeing him mad. 

The engine roared as John set off, speeding up once he got onto the main road. Dean sat in silence, watching the scenery go by, as once again Sam entered his thoughts. He couldn't help but wonder what his younger brother was doing, but despite worrying about him -he always worried about his brother- he knew he would be safe with Bobby. 

It didn't take them long to get to the library, and once his dad had parked the car, Dean followed him into the building. He smiled to himself at the thought of what Sam would do if he came here. This would be like heaven to him; he loved books. However Dean was the complete opposite. He liked cars and music, both of which didn't interest Sam. 

"Dean come on!" He father called firmly, which broke Dean out of his trance and dragged him back to reality. 

Dean rushed after his father, only stopping once he reached him. He noticed that his dad had walked into the History section of the library which only raised more questions for Dean. However, he didn't ask them because he knew it would irritate his dad. 

As his dad was searching through the books, Dean's eyes wandered over to the fantasy section. He wasn't interested in fantasy, but he knew Sam was and when his eyes caught sight of a book called 'Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets' Dean wanted to buy it; not for himself, but for Sam. He knew it wasn't much and it wouldn't entirely make up for what he did, but he wanted to show Sam how sorry he was and how much he meant to him. 

Once again, Dean's trail of thoughts were interrupted by his father, "Dean, this is it." He began and the young hunter rushed straight to his dad's side, only to find him looking at a book about the Titanic. 

"What?" Dean asked, clueless, which only earned him a frustrated look from his dad.

"The ring in the picture, son. It's the same ring you found." John explained and Dean rubbed his chin with his fingers as he thought about this. 

"So the thing doing the murders is attached to that ring?" Dean asked and as if to answer his question, Dean heard a loud scream coming from upstairs. Dean exchanged glances with his father, before taking his salt gun out of his belt and hurrying upstairs. "Dad! It says staff only." Dean announced upon seeing a 'Staff Only' sign. He guessed this must be the warehouse or something.

"Just hurry up." His dad snapped and Dean took one look behind him, worried about getting caught by staff, before following his dad upstairs. 

Dean shivered when he reached the top of the wooden stairs. It sure was cold up here compared to the ground floor,which Dean found strange because heat usually rises. He nodded when he saw his dad put his index finger to his mouth, telling him to be quiet. However, when Dean took another step, his foot collided with a creaky floorboard, fear brewing inside him at seeing the angry look on his dad's face. He would have to do something impressive to get out of this, even though it wasn't his fault. 

"Dean run!" He suddenly heard his father shout and Dean looked round the corner of the stack of books, only to find a woman, wearing a torn black dress with black hair matted over her face. Dean swore he could see straight through her. Dean dived out the way when the woman launched at him, causing the pile of books he was previously standing next to, to fall on top of him. Dean pushed the books out of the way, expecting to see his father at his side, aiding him to his feet, but when he looks around, all he sees is his dad over near the worker the ghost was just attacking. 

"Dad!" Dean shouted upon seeing the ghost standing next to his father, about to flick a pile of encyclopedias at him. It was too late, his dad hadn't noticed the ghost so quickly, Dean pointed the gun at the ghost and pulled the trigger, causing a salt filled bullet to fly through the air and hit the ghost, making it scream before disappearing with a puff of smoke. 

Dean didn't wait for a compliment off his dad, as despite it being nice Dean knew he shouldn't be expecting one. After all, this was supposed to be his life now and there wasn't time to compliment everything he did. It wasn't like he deserved it -in his mind anyway- not since it was his fault that Sam ended up in hospital. 

Dean rushed to his dad's side as he helped the victim to her feet. "Dean, get her out of here. I'll burn the ring." John ordered but Dean wanted to help; he wanted to prove to his dad that he was worthy of doing something, not waiting on the sidelines with the victim. 

Dean opened his mouth, about to say something when his father gave him a hard glare; at that instant Dean knew if he didn't do what his dad said, then something bad's going to happen. "Come on." Dean said, letting the woman lean on him as he helped her downstairs. However, when he got to the exit of the library, he heard a scream, and Dean swore he knew who it belonged to. His dad.   
He turned to the woman, "Wait outside and don't look back." Dean suggested, before taking his gun out of his trousers and rushing back upstairs. Dean couldn't bare to about what that ghost was doing to his dad, and the thought of him getting hurt made Dean run faster. However, he slowed down once he reached the top of the stairs, this time being careful not to make a sound. He poked his head around the corner, his mouth dropping open slightly in panic as his heart rate increased, upon seeing the ghost pinning his dad to the wall; his dad trying to reach the iron rod on the floor. 

Resting his index finger on the trigger of the salt gun, Dean aimed it at the ghost, this time making sure his aim was accurate, before shooting it, the ghost letting out a scream and disappearing into a puff of smoke. Dean looked at his father, preparing himself for being shouted at for disobeying an order, but the loud, threatening voice never came, instead he saw his dad give him a proud look, which made a smile form on Dean's face. But now wasn't the time for congratulating, because the ghost could be back at any second. 

"Son, we need to get out of here. The ghost will follow us, but there's a field nearby where we can burn the ring. My lighter's in the trunk." John suggested and Dean put his gun away before running downstairs, following his dad outside to the car. Having the ring in their possession, made Dean feel on edge and for a moment he felt a chill travel down his spine. Dean got into the passenger seat, glancing at the ring every now and then whilst he dad was driving. Suddenly Dean noticed something changing. The woman in the picture contained in the gem of the ring had moved. She was looking straight at Dean, which only made him feel worse. Hearing about hunting was nothing compared to actually hunting. It was taking a lot for Dean not to give up and beg his dad to let him out of the car; but he dad had always taught him that showing fear is a weakness, and Dean was determined not to be considered as weak, so pushed his fear aside and tried to focus on the task at hand. Burning the ring. 

The engine of the Impala roared as John pressed down on the accelerator, the car swerving as it went around a corner. All of a sudden, Dean caught a glimpse of a woman in the rear-view mirror of the car, but when he looked behind him, he didn't see anything. This happened a few times so Dean assumed he must be imagining it. However, with one swerve, Dean noticed his father trying to hit something away and Dean looked over at the backseat only to see the ghost with it's hands now around his dad's neck. 

Dean looked in front of them, and that was when he noticed they were now on the wrong side of the road and a large gas truck was heading straight towards them. Dean knew what was going to happen if he didn't act fast, so he grabbed hold of the steering wheel with both hands, and pulled the car out of the way just in time. Dean had never driven a car before, but he'd watched his father enough times and for him, steering was easy. Quickly taking his eyes off the road, Dean reached behind him, struggling to grab the iron rod on the backseat. Another way to hurt ghosts was to hit them with iron. Every few seconds Dean kept glancing back at the road, making sure they weren't in danger of crashing into traffic or upcoming junctions. Hearing his father's choking sounds and seeing his face turning pale as he gasped for air, made an unknown feeling to brew inside Dean. The same feeling he got when that shapeshifter was attacking Sam; the desire to protect those he loves. He leant right over the backseat, grabbing the iron rod and stabbing it into the back of the ghost, making it disappear. "Dad, are you okay?" Dean asked, watching his father as he regained control of the car.

"I'll be fine, son." John replied and Dean nodded, spending a moment thinking about what just happened. He had never been in a fight like that, where one wrong move could end with death, and to be honest, Dean felt quite proud of himself. He could see that his father was proud of him too, by the look he gave Dean afterwards. 

It didn't take them long to reach the empty field, and once they did, Dean grabbed the ring from the dashboard, along with the iron rod, before following his dad away from the car, after he collected his lighter. 

"Give me the ring." John said, holding his hand out as Dean hands him the ring. "Now, if the ghost shows up use the iron like you did in the car." He suggested, giving Dean a pat on the top of his shoulder, which made him smile a little. 

Dean stood behind his dad, expecting the ghost to turn up and as if on cue, just as John light the flame and set fire to the ring, the ghost turned up, screaming at it launched at John from the front. Dean moved in front of his dad, getting between him and the ghost, then with one swinging motion he cut the ghost in half and it disappeared into black smoke. Dean kept swinging at the ghost as if he was in a baseball tournament, determined to make it up to his dad and make him proud, but sometimes too much confidence can come at a price. 

Dean was caught off guard momentarily, due to searching for his dad's proud look, which faded the second the ghost hit Dean to the floor. "D-dad!" Dean choked out, but his father did nothing. Dean struggled under the ghost's grasp, wheezing as he gasped for breath as the ghost tried to choke him. At that moment, Dean realised that this must be one of the victims that died when the Titanic sank. Of course, it made sense because of how it killed its victims; choking and drowning.   
Upon noticing that he'd dropped his salt gun, Dean reached his hand across to it, his vision becoming blurry due to lack of air, but he didn't give up. "Come on son, you can do it!" His father called, trying to encourage Dean to fight back; Dean was too scared for his life at the moment, to be annoyed with his father for not helping him. 

Dean stretched his arm out, panicking when he realises that his gun is too far away from him to reach. Dean could feel his eyes getting heavier as he fought to stay conscious; however it was soon all over when the ghost disappeared and the ring had now been turned into ashes. 

Dean took in a large gulp of air before sitting up, his dad at his side with his arms across his shoulders and this unusual affection made Dean think his dad was about to ask him if he's alright, like a normal parent would to their child if they get hurt, but Dean felt disappointment overwhelm him upon hearing his dad say,. "You did well, son. Let's get back to your brother." With his father's aid, Dean got to his feet, now just wanting to get back to Bobby's so he could see Sam. Dean put his hand to his throat, his other hand resting on his chest as he began to feel dizzy. "Are you okay, son?" His dad eventually asked, but not wanting to show he's weak Dean nodded, simply saying "Yeah." before climbing into the passenger seat, after putting his gun and iron road on the backseat. That was enough hunting for one day. 

Dean looked at his dad when he didn't start the car and instead sat there staring out of the window. Dean was used to seeing his dad as strong and not scared of anything, but this hunt seemed to have taken it out of him. "Dad?" Dean asked quietly, placing his hand on his father's shoulder. 

"I'm fine." His dad replied, but his quiet tone told Dean otherwise. 

Dean patted his father's shoulder, before putting his arm around him. He wasn't used to comforting people, especially not his father. In fact he found it awkward, but seeing his dad upset -something Dean had rarely seen, at least not since his mother's death- made Dean want to be there for him. "It'll be okay, dad." Dean reassured him, hesitantly keeping his hand there when his dad looks at him. 

"I know. It's just..this job takes it out of you. You did me proud though." John confessed, giving Dean a pat on the back before starting the car. Dean couldn't help but smile as he took his arm away from his dad. It wasn't often his dad would compliment him, or show a weaker side, so Dean decided to take advantage of it now.


	13. Too Much.

This time the mood in the car was lighter. Dean was singing along to rock music with his father and they even stopped for a burger. However, behind this brave shell Dean was putting up, was fear and trauma caused by the case. Although, right now, this moment was perfect, but there was one thing -or person- missing. Sammy. 

Much like Dean, Sam couldn't stop thinking about his brother. It had been hours since he last saw Dean and knowing how dangerous hunting can be, Sam couldn't help but worry about him.

By the time he'd gotten back to Bobby's house, Jo and Ellen had gone home, leaving a note saying they'd been called away because of an emergency. 

Sam was sat on a chair in Bobby's house, reading a fantasy book. He wanted to go outside and play catch with Bobby like he often did, but he couldn't because of the bandage on his wrist.  
Sam sighed, closing his book and placing it on the coffee table before looking out the window, waiting for the famous Impala to pull on the drive. 

"They'll be back soon, boy." Bobby reassured Sam for the fifth time today; he felt sorry for the younger Winchester because he'd never been away from Dean for so long. 

"What if Dean's got hurt Bobby?" He asked, telling Bobby what was on his mind. 

Bobby walked over to Sam, ruffling his hair affectionately, "I'm sure John will take care of him." Bobby replied, watching Sam fiddle with the buttons on his shirt. "Why don't we go and take Rumsfeld for a walk? He's probably bored out of his mind." Bobby suggested and as if he understood him, Rumsfeld barked, jumping up at Bobby. 

Sam smiled weakly; that puppy never failed to make him happy. He loved dogs. 

He pulled his brown jacket on before waiting for Bobby by the door. He bent down, stroking Rumsfeld behind the ears when he ran over to him. Sam then opened the door, picking up Rumsfeld’s toy before leaving the house. 

Rumsfeld barked, happily running along until they reached the field opposite Bobby's house and Bobby let him off the leash, at which point the puppy sped off as if he was in a race. 

"Rumsfeld!" Sam shouted, holding the ball in the air and waiting for Rumsfeld to run over to him before he threw it in the other direction.  
Sam patted his thighs, squatting as, once again, he waited for Rumsfeld to return to him and when he did he threw the ball again. Their game of fetch lasted for a while, until Sam heard the familiar sound of an engine roaring and he ran round to Bobby’s yard as fast as he could, smiling when he saw his brown haired brother climbing out the Impala, followed by his dad. At first Sam didn’t notice the traumatised look on his brother’s face as he ran over to him, wrapping his arms tightly around his waist and hugging him. “Dean!” Sam cheered, happy to see his brother.  
Dean wrapped his arms around his brother, resting his head on Sam’s shoulder as he closed his eyes, breathing in the familiar comforting scent. “Hey Sammy.” Dean said quietly, putting on a fake smile; he didn’t want Sam to know about what he’d just witnessed. He didn’t realise hunting could be so traumatising. 

Sam soon pulled away from the hug upon hearing his father speaking to Bobby, “Dean did well. I couldn’t have done it without him.” John announced and a weak but proud smile formed on Dean’s face, glad that some of his dad’s trust had been restored.

“Well I did say your boys are more capable than you think.” Bobby replied, giving Dean a proud look. 

Dean nodded, his eyes travelling to the floor. Talking about the hunt wasn’t helping so Dean quickly went inside; as usual, avoiding talking about his feelings. However, he didn’t realise Sam was following him until he reached his bedroom and was about to close the door. “What do you want?” He asked, biting his lip when that question came out more threatening than intended. 

“N-nothing..” Sam trailed off, not used to his brother talking to him like that; his father maybe, but not Dean who had always comforted Sam and been there for him when he needed someone. 

“Then leave me alone.” Dean snapped, pushing on Sam’s chest to force him out of the room before closing the door. Upon realising what he did, Dean kicked the bed before sitting down. Ever since that hunt, Dean felt different. The violence he had taken part in had changed him and now he feeling scared of turning into someone he’s not. He definitely didn’t want to be like his father; not with all the shouting and the ‘shoot first, ask questions later’ attitude. He was scared that this would cause him and Sam to grow apart and Dean wouldn’t be able to bare that. He needed Sam as much as Sam needed him. 

A sudden knock on the door caused Dean to snap out of his thoughts and look up, only to see Bobby standing in the doorway with his hands on his hips. “What have you said to him?” Bobby asked and Dean walked over to the window, turning his back on Bobby as he stared outside at nothing in particular. 

“Who?” Dean asked in a monotone, trying to mask his pain with a blank expression. 

“You know who boy. Don’t lie to me. I’m talking about why you pushed Sam out the door. The boy’s in tears.” Bobby scolded and Dean lowered his head, feeling a pang in his heart upon hearing what Bobby said. It hurt him to know that it was his fault for Sam being upset. 

“I told him I wanted to be on my own.” Dean argued, unsure why he was suddenly getting so defensive over this, when he knew it was his fault. Upon seeing the shocked yet annoyed look on Bobby’s face, Dean sighed and slowly looked at Bobby, his blank expression breaking as fear crept its way onto his face. 

“I get it that this job is hard and it takes it out of you, but you gotta stay strong son. It gets easier.” Bobby assured him but Dean didn’t say anything, resuming his previous position of staring out the window. He bit his lip as he tried to keep it together. Everyone had such high expectations of him, and he wasn’t sure how he was going to live up to them. 

Before Bobby could say anything else, Dean spoke up, “Can I..can I have some time Bobby?” He asked, his tone no longer loud and threatening but small, like a scared child, and Dean hated it.  
“You can’t run away from this, Dean. It’s reality.” Bobby argued, taking a few steps towards Dean, making it clear that he isn’t going to leave despite Dean’s request. 

“I’m not running away from it. I just can’t do it Bobby. I mean, it’s not like hearing about hunting or the horror movies on TV, it’s worse. It’s like people’s lives depend on you and..I just can’t.” He trailed off, hating how weak he’s acting right now but that hunt had really taken it out of Dean. 

“You’re strong son and your daddy can see that, but you can’t save everyone. It sucks but it’s part of this job.” Bobby explained placing a hand on Dean’s shoulder as Dean turned around and hugged him. Despite being close to his dad, Dean was still very close to Bobby; he felt like another fatherly figure to him and he was a lot different to their father. “Now why don’t we try to forget about this before we turn into two teenage girls talking about their feelings?” Bobby joked and Dean looked up at him, the corners of his mouth curving up into a smile. He had Bobby always had a jokey relationship. 

“No chick flick moments.” Dean smiled as he pulled away from the hug. However, Dean’s smile faded slightly upon seeing Sam standing in the doorframe, his head lowered when he catches Dean’s eyes. 

“Talk to him.” Bobby whispered in Dean’s ear before leaving the room. Opening up to someone wasn't something Dean was good at, in fact he found it awkward to talk about his true feelings, but seeing his brother upset hurt him. So when he saw Sam turn around to walk away Dean called his name, causing Sam to look up at him with a sad puppy dog eyed look, which was something Dean couldn’t resist. 

“Sit down. I’m not gonna shout at you again.” Dean assured him, knowing how much his brother hated shouting, which only made him feel worse about this. Dean sat down next to his brother, his eyes wandering to the floor before looking at his brother. “Sammy, I’m sorry..I don’t know what happened. It’s just this job. It isn’t something you can forget easily.” Dean attempted to explain, hoping Sam wouldn’t start asking questions, but much to his surprise, Sam wraps his arms tightly around Dean’s waist. 

“It’s okay Dean.” Sam said and Dean smiled a little, putting his arm around Sam and patting his back.

“Thanks Sam.” Dean said, unable to believe how sloppy he’s suddenly being. He knew if his father saw him like this then he was sure he would be disowned. “Not a word to dad about this. He’ll think I’m some girl like you.” Dean joked, ruffling his brother’s hair. He loved teasing Sam. 

“Shut up.” Sam said, pulling away from the hug and punching Dean’s arm. “I can’t be as big of a girl as you are.” He added. 

“Oh yeah?” Dean questioned, raising an eyebrow at Sam as he reached under Sam’s pillow, pulling out a fantasy book. “What’s this?” He said, holding it above Sam so he couldn’t reach it. 

“Give it back Dean!” Sam shouted and each time he went to reach for the book, Dean moved it away. 

“Sorry little brother.” Dean chuckled, but stopped upon seeing his father in the doorway.

“I didn’t raise you boys to be childish. You’re thirteen Dean.” His father spoke firmly and Dean lowered his head as he handed Sam back his book, not wanting to get on his dad’s bad side. Usually their dad wouldn’t say anything when Dean teased Sam and vice versa, so he guessed he must have had some kind of disagreement with Bobby. “Come on, we’re leaving.” His dad announced and this only confirmed that he had had an argument with Bobby. Their dad would always leave after an argument rather than facing the problem and apologising. 

Dean didn’t have much to pack due to having only one bag, but he decided to wait for Sam regardless, as he had more stuff than him. “Nerd.” Dean teased upon seeing Sam packing his books in his bag. 

“Shut up.” Sam murmured, giving his brother another playful punch on the arm before putting his bag over his shoulder. He then looked at his father, “Why are we leaving? I thought we were spending all week at Bobby’s?” Sam questioned which Dean instantly knew was a bad move; even he wouldn’t dare question his father’ decisions. 

“Because I said so. Now hurry up and say goodbye.” John snapped before marching outside to the car.

Dean patted Sam’s shoulder gently upon seeing him frown, knowing how much his brother likes spending time with Bobby. “We’ll see him soon Sammy.” Dean assured him, but all Sam did was nod.

After saying goodbye to Bobby, Sam followed his brother outside, putting his bag in the trunk of the Impala before getting into the back. Dean got in beside Sam as John sat in the front. The Impala let out a roar as John started the engine and both boys waved goodbye to Bobby, John not uttering a word to him.  
Throughout the journey Sam was reading whereas Dean was listening to music through his headphones. There was a tension in the car, that often existed after John had had an argument with someone, but neither of the boys would dare question what happened.  
The motel John was taking the boys to was only on the outskirts of the estate. It was square and had four floors, however it was nothing special. Nothing more than the boys were used to. 

Dean took out of headphones, putting them in his pocket as he climbed out the car. He grabbed his and Sam’s bags from the trunk before entering the motel after their dad. He handed Sam his bag, putting his own backpack properly over his shoulders. 

“Thanks.” Sam smiled a little after taking his bag. 

Suddenly, Dean saw his father stop so he rushed to his side, his eyes wandering around the scene before him. There were yellow police tapes attached from the desk to chairs that had been knocked over, each one had blood splattered over it.. “Dad what’s going on?” Dean asked, looking up at his father. He hadn’t realised Sam had followed him over, until he heard his brother let out a yelp before burying his head in Dean’s shirt and at that point he realised that Sam was still innocent to most of this, even if he did know about monsters. 

“Sorry this is a crime scene, so I’m going to have to ask you to go to your room or leave.” A policeman spoke and Dean was about to leave when he saw his father reach into the inside pocket of his jacket and pull out a badge. 

“Bert Aframian. FBI.” John said, showing his fake FBI badge which Dean thought looked very convincing; however he still felt a bit worried about lying to the police. 

“You guys know this is just a regular murder case. There isn’t any need for the FBI to be involved.” The officer said.

“I just need to do some routine checks.” John replied, which, much to Dean’s relief, persuaded the officer to let them stay. Dean made a mental note to ask his father later about how he did that. He had always admired his father’s actions when it came to hunting. When the officer left, John turned to Dean, “Get your EMF meter out your bag. I want to get you used to using the equipment.” John suggested and upon hearing that, Dean felt Sam’s grip around him tighten, as if he didn’t want Dean to go. 

“Can I take Sammy up to the motel room first?” Dean asked, not wanting his brother to have to see this. He’d seen enough already in the past week. 

“People are dying, son. We can’t waste time. We have to find out what kind of creature has done this, do you understand?” John spoke firmly. 

Dean nodded, “Yes sir.” He replied simply, not wanting to get on his father's bad side. Dean gave Sam a sorry look, only feeling worse about this when Sam gives him a pleading puppy dog eyed look, silently begging him not to go. 

Dean tried to prise Sam away from him, but Sam ended up grabbing onto his shirt, “I’m sorry Sammy, I have to. Dad’s orders. But if you sit over there then you won’t see anything scary, okay?” He suggested, signalling over to a sofa facing a TV. 

Sam looked over at the sitting area, giving Dean a scared look but upon seeing his father’s impatient expression, Sam reluctantly dragged his feet along the floor and sat down on the sofa. Dean bit his lip as he watched his brother walk away. He was supposed to be there for Sam and stay with him when he needed him, not send him away on his own. 

Dean reached into his bag, grabbing his EMF meter and turning it on by pulling up the antenna. He decided to get this over and done with quickly so he could get back to Sam. “Now step over the police line and scan the area for EMF.” His father instructed. 

After stepping over the police tape, Dean stared at the blood on the floor. He wasn’t squeamish of blood. Instead it was the horror of what could have happened here that was bothering him. After all, it wasn’t long since his last traumatising hunt.  
Glancing behind him at his father, Dean was hoping he might see him comforting Sam or at least encouraging him to get the job done, but when he looked around, he saw him talking to one of the police officers, completely disregarding how distressed his youngest son looked. 

Dean stepped towards the white outline of the body the police had made, and started scanning over the area for EMF. He scanned the area three times and there wasn’t a sign of any EMF, so Dean put the meter away, assuming it must be something else. Although, part of him was hoping that it was just a normal murder and there was nothing supernatural about it. 

Once again, Dean looked back over at Sam, catching his eye for a moment before looking away. He couldn’t look Sam in the eye at the moment, as he felt ashamed of himself for leaving him when he needed him, and the scared look on his brother’s face only made it worse. 

Upon seeing his father ushering him over, Dean ducked underneath the police tape before returning to his dad’s side. “Did you find anything?” John asked, and for a moment Dean became worried that he’d let his father down by not finding anything, because that meant they weren’t any closer to finding out what was behind the murder. However, Dean knew better than to lie to his father. 

He shook his head, “No sir.” Dean replied, trying to hide his fear, even though his father didn’t seem angry.

“Must be something else then.” John replied, running his hand along the short stubble on his jaw and down to his chin. “Sammy!” John suddenly shouted, signalling to Sam to hurry up and Dean assumed they must be leaving now; or at least he was hoping that was the case, because he didn’t want Sam to be around this for much longer. He was still trying to protect his innocence, despite Sam being aware of hunting now, but that didn’t mean he had to be a part of it. 

“Yes dad?” Sam asked quietly, his eyes wandering around the room as he searched for danger, feeling terrified that something might jump out on him. 

Picking up on his brother’s distress, Dean put his arm around Sam’s shoulders, giving him a reassuring smile to tell him everything’s okay. Everything will be okay for Sam. That was what Dean was holding onto and he was determined to shadow Sam from all of this so he could have the most normal life a hunter could have. 

“I’ve booked a room and I want you to go up there. It’s on the second floor. Me and your brother will meet you up there soon.” John suggested.

Sam gave Dean a scared look before looking back at his father, “But dad, I’m scared.” He admitted and the angry look on his father’s face only scared him more. 

Dean bit his lip. He wanted to step in and tell their father that he isn’t leaving Sam on his own, but he didn’t have the guts. As much as he didn't want to admit it, Dean was scared of his father. He did love him and he respected him but he knew where the line was drawn and he wouldn’t dare to even put a toe over it. He just hoped his father wouldn’t be too harsh on Sam.

“You’re scared? This isn’t a job you can be scared in. There are scarier things than a murder boy and you have to brave it. It’s no good being scared.” John snapped harshly and Dean glanced at Sam, only to see him lower his head before taking the motel room key and glancing up at Dean with his eyes. The sad puppy dog eyed look on his brother’s face hurt Dean because it was like a puppy begging its owner not to leave him on his own, and usually that was a look that Dean couldn’t resist. 

Dean gently placed his hand on the back of Sam’s head and ruffled his hair, “You’ll be alright Sammy. I’ll see you soon, okay?” Dean said, feeling a pang in his heart when Sam wrapped his arms around his waist and hugged him tightly, “Hey, don’t worry. You can take my knife if you want?” He suggested, wanting Sam to feel at least somewhat safe. However, he can’t believe what he just said to his nine year old brother. The same nine year old brother Dean didn’t want to get involved in this. Yet here he was, telling Sam to take a knife with him and as much as Dean didn’t want to admit it, he sounded like his father. 

Sam hesitantly pulled away before slowly taking the knife from Dean. He gave Dean a scared look but after seeing the impatient look on his father’s face, Sam dragged his feet along the floor to his motel room. 

When he reached the top of the stairs, Sam looked around, fear flowing through him with every step he took. He didn’t want to meet the thing that did the murders and he hoped that Dean would be back soon. He looked down at the number written on the key in red ink. ‘Room 26’ It read so Sam kept walking until he reached the correct room. His hand was shaking as he fumbled with the key to unlock the door, then when he did so, he kept a tight grip on the knife Dean gave him and entered the room. Despite there being nothing inside, Sam ran over to his bed, choosing the one next to the wall, as that way nothing could creep up behind him.  
It wasn’t just the supernatural that was scaring Sam, but his father’s loud, intimidating voice had scared him too. So he dumped his bag down next to his bed and brought out his teddy bear, hugging it close to him. He closed his eyes, trying to think of his mother. Despite never knowing her, it still brought Sam comfort to think about her and imagine her arms wrapped around him to keep him safe.  
Sam sniffled, trying to contain his emotions but failing. He couldn’t do it as easily as Dean because Sam was used to talking about how he felt, no matter what was bothering him, but this time he was frightened that their dad would see him as weak and he didn’t want to make his father mad again.


	14. The Closet

Ever since they got to the motel room, John had been looking through the past week's news reports for information about the case; just because there wasn't any EMF, didn't mean that there wasn't a case. In fact, it made John's job harder, as it could be anything. 

Dean, on the other hand, had been trying to calm Sam down. For the past two hours, Sam had clung to his side like a life-line. Dean gently guided his brother's fringe off his forehead. Sam's hair had grown a lot during the past year, and in all honesty Dean missed seeing the tiny curls covering Sam's forehead. Instead, his hair was now straight and his fringe neatly went across his forehead, parting slightly to the left. Though, despite this, Dean still couldn't resist it when his brother gave him the famous puppy dog eyed look. 

It was getting close to nighttime as the sun was beginning to set, causing an orange glow to spread across the sky. Dean tried to prise Sam off him, but his brother only clung tighter to him. “Don’t go.” Sam begged, giving Dean a pleading look. 

Dean placed on hand on his brother’s cheek, holding his brother to his chest. “It’s alright Sammy. There’s nothing in here, it’s just me, you and dad.” Dean reassured him, biting his lip after catching his father’s gaze. 

“I’m going to the store to get us something to eat. Think about what I said Dean.” John said, before putting his keys in his pocket and leaving the motel room. Dean took one glance at the door before turning his eyes to the floor. He had been trying to forget what his father had told him, in hope that he would be able to avoid it. 

Sam hesitantly pulled out of Dean’s embrace upon noticing his brother’s change of mood, “What did dad say?” He asked. 

Dean shook his head, “It doesn’t matter Sammy. Don’t worry about it.” Dean forced a smile as he ruffled his brother’s hair, before walking into the bathroom to have some time to himself. 

Thinking Dean had gone to the toilet to do his buisness, Sam remained sitting on the bed. He reached into his backpack, picking up his fantasy book to take his mind off what he’d seen today, but the mention of ghosts and other supernatural creatures in the book wasn’t helping, so he put it down on the bed. He sat there, his teddy bear in his arms as his eyes darted around the room, waiting anxiously for Dean or their father to return; he felt too scared to be on his own. Sam doubted if he’d ever get used to hunting and he hoped he would never have to. It was like one long nightmare, except it was real and there was no escape from it. 

“Hey Samsquatch.” Dean teased as he exited the bathroom; there was no sign of the jumble of thoughts haunting his mind, because he’d pushed it to the back of his mind and put on his usual brave act. 

“Hey midget.” Sam replied, giving Dean a weak smile. He was too scared to joke around right now. “Dean, what if whatever killed that person finds us? Dad’s not always around to protect us.” Sam explained, confessing what was on his mind. 

Dean sighed, on the bed opposite Sam’s, “Dad won’t let that happen, and if that thing does come in here then I know what to do. Dad’s taught me things about hunting, and I killed that shapeshifter that had you that time.” Dean replied, trying to show his brother that he’s safe with him. 

“Really?” Sam asked, almost in disbelief. He was unconscious when Dean killed the shapeshifter so he wasn’t sure what happened. 

Dean nodded, “Yeah.” He confirmed, before letting out a slight ‘oof’ when Sam threw himself into his arms. “Thanks Dean!” Sam exclaimed in relief, trusting Dean now to protect him. 

Dean chuckled slightly, “You’re welcome kiddo.” He smiled, giving his brother a tight hug, clutching the back of his shirt before pulling away, upon hearing the motel door open. 

“I expected you boys to be ready.” John spoke, giving Dean a disapproving look. It had always been Dean’s job to get the plates and cutlery out whenever their dad went to get a takeout, but Sam had needed him and he couldn’t leave his side, not again, so this time Dean had chose to take care of Sam. After all, that was what his dad wanted him to do, right? ‘Watch out for Sammy. Take care of your little brother boy.’ Those were the words that had been imprinted into Dean’s mind.

“Sorry sir.” Dean said simply, before scrambling off the bed and getting out three plates as well as three sets of cutlery. Dean’s stomach let out a loud grumble, which he was certain Sam heard because he could see his brother smiling. The smell of Chinese food travelling out of the white plastic bag was making Dean feel only hungrier, his mouth beginning to water as he thought about it; it was one of his favorite meals. He had a faint memory in the back of his mind of his mother buying a Chinese takeout for them on his fourth birthday. Dean had eaten all of it and ever since his mother’s death, he tried to hold onto that memory, no matter how young he was back then.

He watched his father as he got the clear plastic tubs out of the bag, giving him a questioning look when he only gets two out and a bag of chips. “We have to save money, so you and Sam will have to share.” John explained and upon hearing that Dean’s good mood deteriorated. He so badly wanted a Chinese meal to himself but he didn’t want Sam to be hungry for the rest of the night so he agreed to share with him. 

Dean smiled a little when he saw Sam rush to his side, his eyes wandering straight to the stir fry and noodle dish that his father had handed Dean. “I don’t know what you’re looking at. This is mine.” Dean joked, though he pretended to be serious. 

“But Dean..” Sam whined, giving his brother the famous puppy dog eyed look. 

Dean sighed, rolling his eyes as he patted Sam’s shoulder, “Dammit Sammy. You know I can’t resist that.” Dean teased, before serving Sam’s dinner first. Despite feeling hungry and not eating much today, Dean gave Sam a bit more than he had, because he wanted to make sure that Sam had enough to eat. He also ensured that Sam had more stir fry than chips, because Sam had started to get fussy when it came to eating unhealthy food. 

“Thanks Dean!” Sam cheered, taking his plate as he walked over to the table. Dean then served out his own dinner, before joining Sam at the table. 

Both brothers ate in silence. One of them scared and the other not feeling like talking. Sam knew there was something that Dean wasn’t telling him. He had been in this situation before and Dean avoiding the subject only confirmed this theory. 

As usual Dean finished before Sam, but he waited for both Sam and their father to finish, so Dean could take their plates and wash up. Then, once they had, Dean carried their plates over to the sink, finding himself being followed by Sam. “Dean, are you okay?” Sam asked, knowing by now that his brother’s silence was never a good sign.

“I’m fine, Sammy.” Dean replied, not taking his eyes off the plate he’s washing. 

“Are you sure?” Sam asked and Dean finally looked at him, masking his feelings with a smile, 

“Yes, just tired. That’s all.” Dean lied, giving Sam a gently pat on the back before handing him a dry towel, “Now why don’t you be the good little nerd you are and dry up.” He suggested, his ears poking up as he smiled, teasing Sam. 

“I’m not a nerd.” Sam said, snatching the towel from Dean’s hands and started to dry the dishes. 

“Keep telling yourself that.” Dean grinned, signalling over to the book on Sam’s bed, which earned him a punch in the arm from Sam. “You can do better than that.” Dean teased, before flicking water at Sam, momentarily forgetting about their father being in the room. 

Sam reached into the sink before splashing some water at Dean, getting the front of his black t-shirt and grey overshirt wet. “Hey!” He exclaimed and with that, both brothers ended up having a water fight in the kitchen area of the motel room, and by the end of it the boys were soaked head to foot. Dean was about to splash Sam with more water when he found himself being pulled away from his brother by the top of his collar. He looked up, only to find the source of the pulling being his father. His father who despised them doing anything childish, yet here they were, drenched from a water fight. 

“What do you think you’re doing? I told you to wash up, not have some childish water fight. I don’t expect that behavior from you two!” Their father shouted and Dean swallowed the lump in his throat, nodding before turning his gaze to the floor. 

“S-sorry dad.” Sam spoke in a small voice, backing away from their father. 

“It’s sir to you, boy.” John spoke harshly, before pushing Dean towards the sink, causing him to slip on the wet floor and bang his side on the counter. “You two will clean this up then it’s straight to bed. I have more important things to do than deal with you two acting like children.” John continued, his voice filled with anger as he spoke, which terrified both brothers, but Dean fought not to show it. 

“Yes sir.” Both brother’s spoke at once, not uttering another word to each other, as Dean went to get a mop and bucket whilst Sam collected some paper towels from the bathroom. Dean could tell that Sam was on the brink of tears, his watery eyes and shaky hands were enough to indicate it and it took a lot not to go over there and hug him to tell him it’s going to be okay, but he knew if they didn’t clean this up now their father would only get angrier, and Dean wouldn’t want to step over that line. He was certain that going to hell would be nothing compared to how his father would react.

Dean mopped up the water, before letting Sam dry the floor with the paper towels. He returned the mop and bucket to the bathroom, before entering the bathroom. He rested his hands on the sink, Dean stared in the mirror. He felt drained after everything that had happened during the past few days. His eyes were sunken and his usual neat, partly stuck up hair was a mess. However, for once Dean didn’t care about it because he would be going to bed soon, so it would get messy anyway, even though he’s almost certain that he won’t sleep; not after that hunt. 

“Dean, are you finished in the bathroom?” He heard Sam ask quietly from the doorway of the bathroom, carrying his pyjamas, and causing Dean to break out of his trail of troubled thoughts and force a smile. 

“Yeah. Go ahead Sammy.” Dean replied, giving his brother a pat on the shoulder as he left the bathroom. Without a word to his father, Dean walked over to his bed and started getting changed. Dean didn’t care about getting changed in front of people, whereas Sam did and preferred privacy when he got changed. Dean tossed his overshirt onto the bottom of his bed, taking off his trousers and changing into knee length shorts before climbing into bed. Dean never wore pyjamas like his brother did, he often just changed into some undershorts and kept his t-shirt on. Sometimes the brothers were complete opposites, like fire and ice, but they still got along fine regardless. 

Dean lay on his side, pulling his duvet over him and not saying a word to their father. Despite their water fight being fun, Dean regretted it because it hadn’t only caused him and their father to be on bad terms, but Sam and their father too. 

It wasn’t long before Sam returned from the bathroom. He placed his neatly folded clothes on the end of his bed and climbed into bed, placing his torch on the bedside table and hugging his teddy bear close to his chest. Sam also lay on his side, but kept his back pressed firmly against the wall to ensure that nothing could grab him from behind. Now that the room was filled with darkness, except for the part where their father was studying, which was lit by two candles, Sam felt terrified.   
He turned his torch on, pointing it over to Dean’s bed to see if his brother was awake. 

Upon seeing the bright light, Dean put his hand over his eyes, “I feel like I’m about to be caught by the cops.” Dean joked and Sam lowered the torch so it was no longer blinding him but he could still see Dean’s face. 

“Sorry.” Sam replied, before adding, “I’m scared.” And without thinking, Dean went to climb out of bed to sleep with his brother -they needed each other right now- but he soon heard their father’s voice from the opposite side of the room. “No, you’re not sleeping with your brother. He has to learn to get used to this. Being scared will get you killed in this line of work boy.” John spoke firmly, and not wanting to anger their father again, Dean reluctantly climbed back into his own bed, giving Sam a sorry look. 

“Night Dean..” Sam trailed off, sad that their father was being so harsh and wasn’t letting Dean stay with Sam. After all, it wasn’t like Sam wanted to be a hunter; he was too young to make those kind of decisions about the future, but he knew for sure that hunting wasn’t something he wanted to do. 

Sam pulled the duvet up to his head, closing his eyes and hugging his teddy bear, this time trying to imagine Dean’s safe arms being wrapped around him to keep him safe, and because of this, Sam soon found himself drifting off to sleep. However, his sleep wasn’t at all peaceful. He tossed and turned as scary images of shapeshifters, ghosts and that crime scene flashed through his mind. Then, after only a few hours sleep Sam sat up in bed, his breathing rapid as his eyes darted around the room, landing on the partly opened closet in from of him. For a moment Sam swore he saw something move in there. A shadow of someone, or something. A demon maybe? Or a ghost? Sam didn’t know and he was certain he didn’t want to. He lay back down and pulled the duvet over his face, clinging tightly to it with one hand as he buried his head in his teddy bear’s fur. He was positive, that like his brother, he would never get to sleep; but Dean was a teenager and Sam was only a nine year old boy who’d only found out about the horrors of the world a week or so ago, therefore this was a lot scarier for him. Sam whimpered upon hearing a crash, his initial thought being that something was in the closet and was about to get him. “D-Dean!” He whimpered once more, closing his eyes in sheer terror as he began to tremble violently. 

Sam’s fear didn’t only alert Dean but their father too, who ripped the duvet away from Sam. “What is going on?” He asked and his loud tone only scared Sam more, until tears started to fall down his cheeks.

“I want Dean.” Sam blurted out. He didn’t find comfort in their father or feel safe around him; it was Dean who he felt the safest around. 

Ignoring their father’s previous command, Dean rushed to Sam’s side, taking him carefully into his arms and stroking his hair, “I’m here Sammy. Nothing’s gonna get you and if they tried, they wouldn’t make it past me.” Dean reassured him softly, letting out a breath of relief when Sam seemed to calm down a little. It was hurting Dean to see his brother like this and it was cruel that their father wasn’t letting Dean stay with him to make him feel better.

“What happened?” John asked and Sam shakily pointed over to the closet with one arm. “There isn’t anything in there.” John replied, but Dean could tell Sam wasn’t going to go back to sleep unless he was certain about it and one of them checked. This was confirmed when he heard Sam mumble, “C-can you c-check?” stuttering with fear. 

John let out a sigh, but walked over to the closet anyway, opening it and shining a torch around it before returning to Sam. “There’s nothing in there, now stop being stupid and get back to sleep.” John snapped, appearing to still be annoyed with both of the boys because of the water fight, which instantly had put him in a bad mood. 

“I-I can’t.” Sam choked and Dean stroked his hair gently upon noticing that his brother’s distress was beginning to return. 

Dean watched as their father walked over to his duffel bag by the table, before returning to Sam with a ‘45 hand gun. “If something tries to attack you then use this.” He suggested and Sam hesitantly took it. He had never fired a weapon before so he wasn’t sure what to do. He was about to question their father about it when he saw him walk back over to the table. Sam wiped the remaining tears from his tear-stained face before look up at his brother. “Dean, what do I do?” He asked, holding the gun at the bottom and ensuring his fingers weren’t anywhere near the trigger; he was worried about accidentally firing it and hurting someone. 

As much as Dean didn’t want ot have to explain to his younger brother about operating a gun, he took it from him before putting the safety on. “You have to flick the safety off like this, then aim it at you want to shoot and press on the trigger. Make sure it’s straight though, because you don’t want your arm to move and the bullet to miss the thing you’re shooting.” Dean explained, unintentionally going into too much detail about it. He placed the gun down on Sam’s bedside table, “But you don’t have to worry about it, because you don’t have to use it. There’s no need to be afraid of the dark Sammy. There isn’t anything in here and I’ll stay with you.” Dean continued, whispering the last part because he knew it would be going against their father’s order, but Dean couldn’t leave his brother again. Not after what just happened. So, when Sam moved over, Dean climbed into bed beside him. He’d tactfully placed the gun on the bedside table at his side, so if something did come in, then Dean would be closest to the gun and it would be up to him to shoot it. 

“Thanks Dean.” Sam whispered, wrapping an arm around his brother as he kept his teddy bear held in his other arm. Now that Dean was beside him and the wall was at his other side, Sam felt safe and this time he was able to get back to sleep almost instantly. 

A small smile formed on Dean’s lips as he watched over his brother. He also felt better having Sam beside him, because Sam seemed to be the only person who saw good in Dean and had placed his trust in him. Their father did trust Dean from time to time, but ever since he almost got Sam killed by a witch a few years ago, he had looked at Dean differently and Dean hated it.


	15. Like A Family

Dean awoke in the early hours of the morning to the birds singing outside. He rubbed his tired eyes before sitting up and despite noticing that their dad had returned, Dean didn't say a word. Instead he headed straight for the bathroom and got changed into his jeans, black t-shirt and navy blue over-shirt. He looked in the mirror, straightening the cord the amulet Sam had brought him was attached to. Ever since that Christmas Dean had never taken the amulet off, because it reminded him of Sam and no matter how much he didn't want to admit it, it reminded him how much he meant to Sam. After all, it was originally a present for their father but Sam had ended up giving it to Dean after an argument with John.

After washing his face and styling his hair the best he could with water -they couldn't afford hair gel- Dean left the bathroom and started to make Sam's breakfast when he heard his father speak. "Dean, don't worry about making breakfast. We'll go out for it." John said with an oddly calm voice, "Just help your brother get ready."

"Yes sir." Dean replied, before walking over to Sam's bed and giving him a gentle nudge in the arm. "Sammy." He whispered but there was no answer. "Hey Samsquatch!" Dean said loudly, before shaking the bed and chuckling when he hears Sam groan sleepily. "Time to get up sleepy head. Unless you want to miss breakfast." Dean joked, taking a step back as his brother sat up.

"What?" Sam murmured, seeming to be having trouble waking up.

"Dad's taking us out for breakfast, but it's fine if you don't want to come. I can eat yours." Dean threatened and Sam punched his arm.

"No, I want to come." Sam replied, brushing past Dean and entering the bathroom with his clothes in his arms.

While Sam was getting ready, Dean decided to pack, assuming they were moving to a different town now that their father had finished the hunt. "Dean, you don't have to pack. We aren't moving, son. I just want to take you boys out for a change. It isn't often we do things as a family." John spoke up, for a moment Dean had to remind himself that this wasn't a dream. He couldn't remember the last time their father was nice and caring like this; usually he was shouting at them and giving Dean orders. Dean always felt like he had a responsibility and there was no time for air, but now it almost felt like they were a normal family. Maybe, just maybe their father had changed his mind about the family business.

"Oh, okay." Dean replied, unsure what to say in response to that.

It wasn't long before Sam had finished getting reading and he soon left the bathroom in his buttoned up blue plaid shirt and brown jacket. Dean slipped his own black jacket on, upon seeing that it looked quite cold outside. It was cloudy and the trees were blowing in the wind, so he wasn't taking any chances. After all, what good would it be to anyone if he got ill? He wouldn't be able to take care of Sam or live up to his father's expectations.

When their father wasn't looking, Dean reached into his bag and put his handgun -containing silver bullets- into the back of his trousers and his flask of holy water into the inside pocket of his jacket. Despite them only going to for breakfast, Dean still wanted to be prepared like he would be if they were going on a hunt.

Dean walked with Sam out of the motel room, getting into the front seat with their father been as he was in a good mood. Dean wanted to make the most of it while it lasted.

"Where are we going, dad?" Dean asked curiously, surprised when their father didn't snap at him for asking questions like he usually did.

"Where do you want to go, son?" John asked,

"I-I don't mind." Dean replied, uncertain what to say because he was taken aback by their father's sudden peculiar kindness.

"I know a good place." John announced and Dean decided to go along with it, like he always did. He never questioned his father's decisions.

It wasn't long before they reached a small diner on the outskirts of town. It looked deserted and if it wasn't for the woman standing behind the counter and the low lighting inside, Dean would have assumed it was abandoned.

Once their father had parked the car, Dean got out before opening the door for Sam. It was easy to see that Sam was excited, because it wasn't often they got to go out as a family.

Dean followed their father into the diner, sitting down at a booth in the far corner of the room. He found it strange that they chose to sit here, even though they had the whole place to themselves, but he didn't say anything, because he didn't want to spoil the family outing.

"Can I get you anything?" The dark haired waitress asked, holding a notepad as she waited for one of the males to talk.

"I'll have a bacon sandwich." John announced, before looking at Sam and Dean,

"I'll have the same." Dean replied, deciding to order the cheapest item on the menu so he didn't spend too much of their father's money, even though he was craving the special, which was pancakes with maple syrup.

As if he was reading his mind, Dean heard John speak up, "You can have pancakes if you want, son." John said, even though it was one of the dearest meals on the menu.

Dean smiled, his ears poking up at the sides as he did so, "Alright. I'll have the special with maple syrup and a soda." Dean replied, excited about having pancakes.

After Sam had ordered his breakfast, which consisted of a small bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich, with an orange juice, the waitress left their table and Dean ruffled Sam's hair, causing Sam to hit his arm away. "Always the healthier choice." He teased, chuckling as he watched his brother straightened his hair, which Dean had messed up.

"I had that when you took me to..." Sam trailed off, remembering that he shouldn't talk about the times Dean had taken him out to eat, around their father.

Dean glanced at their father, waiting for him to tell them off but calm expression on his face indicated that he wasn't angry, "I-I know what you mean Sam.." Dean replied, too shocked to say anything, however, he soon pulled himself together and said, "You should try pancakes and syrup. It's the best!" Dean exclaimed.

"I might one time but I had some sweets the other day."

"Health-freak." Dean teased, punching his brother's shoulder gently which Sam soon returned.

Usually, whenever the boys were having banter with each other, John would get annoyed and tell them to stop being so childish, so when John chuckled at them, Dean was shocked, because it wasn't often that their father found something funny.

The waitress soon returned to their table with the breakfast and Dean's eyes widened upon seeing a stack of pancakes with maple syrup running down the sides. He instantly picked up his fork and cut into the pancakes, making sure each bite had enough maple syrup on it. "These are good." He commented with a mouthful of food, not caring that he was getting syrup around his mouth.  
Sam, on the other hand, was eating slower, taking his time and chewing with his mouth closed, unlike his brother. Normally, their father would tell Dean off for it, but this time he didn't seem to care too much and instead was focused on eating his own breakfast. Due to this, Dean didn't think much when a boy ran over to Sam. 

The boy had black hair, parted slightly to the left and he looked around Sam's age, wearing ripped jeans and a black t-shirt with a white circle in the middle. "Hi, I'm Phil." The boy smiled and Dean assumed that the boy must be related to one of the workers in the restaurant because there weren't any customers here, apart from them. 

Their dad didn't like them making friends, but this time he didn't seem to care, instead he was watching Sam with a smile, appearing to like the fact that he's making friends. 

"I'm Sam." Sam said, politely shaking the boy's hand, "And that's my big brother, Dean." He added, nudging Dean when he realised he wasn't paying attention. 

"W-what? Oh yeah, hi." Dean said, being dragged back to reality. Dean had gone into a trance, thinking about how their father had been acting this morning. He was being unusually nice to them, and despite liking it, Dean couldn't help but question why; it wasn't like their father to let them do anything that in some way wasn't related to hunting.

"Want to go outside and play football?" Phil asked and at first Dean thought he was asking both of them; after all, he was used to doing everything with Sam, so he instantly said, "Yes!" 

Phil leaned closer to Sam, whispering something to him which Dean didn't hear. 

Sam turned to Dean, "Sorry Dean, but would you mind if it was just me and Phil?" Sam asked quietly, not meaning to sound harsh, but Phil had told him that he didn't want Dean to play with them, and Sam was too polite to say no. 

Sam's words came to Dean like a punch in the stomach. He had always put Sam before anyone and everything, but hearing Sam choose a stranger over him, hurt. Suddenly, Dean felt a wave of negativity overwhelm him; a feeling he wasn't familiar with. "Well, it isn't like you've got time anyway. Dad says we're going back to the motel soon." Dean replied, raising his voice a little. 

Sam's mood decreased upon hearing what Dean said. He knew they would be leaving soon, just like they always did. They never stayed in the same area for too long. So when he heard his dad say, "Go on, son." trying to encourage Sam to go outside, both of the brothers were surprised. 

Dean sighed, sitting back in his seat and watching Sam run outside with Phil. He wasn't sure why he was feeling this sudden negativity towards Phil, because he was glad that Sam was making friends, but it hurt to know that Sam didn't want to play with him.   
He sat back in his seat, absentmindedly playing with the amulet around his neck. Despite being towards the back of the restaurant, Dean could still see out of the large window and when he caught a glimpse of Sam kicking the football to Phil, Dean let out a deep sigh. 

He couldn't take it anymore, so upon seeing that his dad was busy talking to the waitress, Dean got up and marched into the bathroom. Resting his hands on the edge of one of the sinks, Dean looked in the mirror, staring at his reflection. He ran his hand down the side of his face, rubbing his chin when he saw the door open, seeing a man with a mop and bucket struggling to get inside. "Let me get that for you." Dean said, politely opening the door for the man, when he suddenly got a glimpse of two white eyes in the mirror. 

"Thank you." The man smiled, and Dean became confused when suddenly the man's eyes looked normal. For a moment he wondered if the man was a demon, but there was only one create that Dean knew you could see it's real eyes in the mirror.

"Excuse me sir." Dean said, forcing the man to look up at him, and with a quick glance in the mirror it was confirmed to Dean that the man did have white eyes, which could only mean one thing. He's a shapeshifter. 

With his back against the sink, Dean reached for his gun, slowly taking it from his back pocket and hiding it behind his back. The man gave Dean a questioning look, but quickly picked up on what he was doing when he saw the reflection of the gun in the mirror. 

"W-what are you doing?" The man asked, but Dean could tell that he was faking his fear, as it was now confirmed that he was a shapeshifter. 

"I know what you are." Dean narrowed his eyes into a glare, his finger resting on the trigger as he held the gun by his side. 

Suddenly, the man launched at him, hitting Dean in the stomach with the wooden handle of the mop, sending him sprawling to the floor and causing him to drop the gun underneath one of the cubicle doors; luckily nobody was in the bathroom. "And I know who you are. You're a Winchester."

Dean sat up, cupping his hand underneath his nose which had started bleeding from how hard he hit his face on the ground; using his other hand to prop himself up. "What do you want with us?" Dean asked, trying to bare the pain in his stomach so he could get answers. However, the man didn't look like he was about to give answers anytime soon, as he began to advance towards Dean, clenching his fists. 

Taking his hand away from his nose and ignoring the blood dripping down his top lip, Dean tried to reach under the door of the cubicle to reach his gun, but he soon felt a sharp blow to the jaw. Pushing his pain aside and clutching his jaw, Dean shuffled as far as he could away from the shapeshifter, until his back touched the wall. He knew he wouldn't be able to get to his gun in time, especially not with the shapeshifter getting closer and closer, so he reached into his jacket and pulled out his silver knife. Dean hadn't had much training, especially not hand to hand combat, but he'd watched enough action movies so he hoped he would be able to take on one shapeshifter on his own. 

He got to his feet quickly, before running towards the shapeshifter, swinging his knife in the air and cutting its arm, earning Dean a punch to the stomach. He coughed, but he wasn't going to give up that easily. After all, he had to make sure Sam was alright; he had a horrible gut feeling that he wasn't. 

Avoiding several punches, Dean stabbed the shapeshifter in the stomach, before yanking the bloody knife out. The shapeshifter let out a shout of pain, having been weakened, and Dean rushed into the cubicle, grabbing his gun before aiming it at the shapeshifter. "Hey dumbo!" He smiled confidently, then when the shapeshifter looked up, Dean shot it a few times, its body going limp and falling to the floor. 

As much as he wanted to get answers from it, Dean decided not to as he wasn't strong enough on his own to capture the creature and ask it for information; at least not without his father by his side. Thinking of his dad made Dean ponder whether the John Winchester that came to the restaurant with them was actually him, or it was another shapeshifter. After all, their father has never been that nice. 

Suddenly Dean remembered about someone. Sam. He had gone outside to play with that boy on his own. Using a paper towel, Dean wiped the blood from his knife and put it into his pocket before running back into the restaurant. His father was still talking to the woman behind the bar, so Dean crept past him and went outside, where he saw Phil holding Sam against the wall.

"Hey! I'd back off him if I were you." Dean threatening firmly, forcing both of the boys apart. He stood with his back to Sam, keeping Sam behind him as he towered over the boy. 

"Dean, we were only playing." Sam spoke up, trying to push his brother out of the way, but Dean was reluctant to move. He was certain that Phil was another shapeshifter; he wasn't taking any notice of the fact that Phil was the one who was scared and Sam was calm, and it wasn't until Dean brought out his gun that Phil backed away from him. 

"S-stay away from me!" Phil blurted out, tears forming in his eyes. 

Sam rushed around to the front of his brother. It was now him who was doing the separating. "Dean listen to me. Phil isn't bad. He wasn't forcing me against the wall. I know it looked like it, but he was trying to tell me something." Sam explained, but Dean didn't lower the gun, because he still wasn't sure whether or not he could trust this boy. Plus, he still didn't like Phil because he'd tried to take Sam away from him by not letting Dean play football.

"What was he going to tell you?" Dean asked, looking at Sam in question before diverting his eyes away, realising that he just revealed his beaten up face to Sam; something Dean didn't want Sam to see.

"Lower your gun first. You're scaring him!" Sam exclaimed as he forced Dean's hand down, so he was no longer aiming the gun at Phil. Sam then turned to Phil, taking a step towards him. "It's okay, we're not going to hurt you. We just want to know what you were going to tell me. I told you you can trust me and you can trust my brother too." Sam explained softly, and much to his relief, Phil relaxed a little. 

"We need to find some place private. Follow me." Phil said, and both of the brother's followed him over to the edge of the forest, where there was a log, sheltered by the bushes.

Dean kept his gun at hand, just in case they had been lead into a trap. He sat down next to Sam on the log, seeing Phil sit down beside them. "This is where I come when I want to be by myself." Phil said quietly, and Dean couldn't help but notice that he was trying to delay whatever it was he was going to tell them. 

"So, what is it?" Dean asked, not using a gentle tone like Sam did because he preferred to get to the point and he wasn't good at comforting people. 

Upon seeing Phil's hesitation, Sam placed his hand gently on his shoulder, "You can tell us. I promise, whatever it is we won't tell anyone." Sam reassured his new friend.

Phil looked at the floor, before giving Sam a worried look, "I don't want you to think I'm weird.." He trailed off and Dean rolled his eyes, "Trust me. We've seen some pretty weird stuff." Dean replied.

Letting out a deep breath, Phil took the bull by its horns and started talking, "Those people who own the restaurant they're not..human. They keep changing their faces and you're dad he's..." Phil trailed off shyly, unsure if Sam and Dean were taking him serious, but little did he know, that they were. 

"He's not him." Dean finished Phil's sentence, before noticing Sam giving him a questioning look, "Sammy, that isn't dad. I can tell. I know what dad's like and there's no way he would've let us do this. If he was dad, then we would've left first thing this morning." Dean explained, letting out a sigh when he saw the scared look on his brother's face. He put his arm around Sam, giving him a quick hug. 

Sam hugged Dean, only pulling away when he heard Phil speak. "How did you know that? I thought you'd think I was crazy." Phil questioned and Dean chuckled quietly, "Because we're hunters." He replied simply. 

"Like deer hunters?" Phil asked, so innocently that he reminded him of how Sam used to be before he knew about hunting. 

Dean shook his head, "No. We hunt things like shapeshifters. That's what those people are in there, and that's why their faces keep changing. Shapeshifters can change into whoever and whatever they want." Dean explained, despite hating that he had to spoil yet another child's innocence.

"What are they after?" Phil asked, which was something Dean had been wondering since that shapeshifter took Sam a few weeks ago. 

"We don't know, but we've got to stop them." Dean replied. As much as he didn't want Sam to be involved in this, something told him that he wouldn't be able to do this alone. "Do you know if they've got our dad?" Dean asked.

"All I know is that they took my parents. They said if I work for them then I can see my mum and dad again." Phil explained, and Dean exchanged glances with Sam, wondering if the same had happened with their dad. "But they did say one thing. They said that if you show up then I've got to split you two up. That's why I only let Sam play with me. I'm so sorry Dean." Phil blurted out and Dean put his gun away, walking around to his other side and sitting down. 

"It's okay, really." Dean shrugged, trying to act like it didn't bother him whatsoever, even though it had, a lot, but he was used to hiding his true feelings. 

"So, what do we do?" Sam asked.

Dean bit his lip, "I'm going to find dad, I'll call Bobby to pick you two up." Dean replied, changing his mind about letting Sam help him, because he didn't want him to get hurt. He couldn't look out for himself as well as two other inexperienced children.

Sam stood up, shaking his head at Dean, "If dad's missing then I'm going to look for him too. You can't do this alone, Dean. Besides, you can teach me how to shoot. I'll try my best, I promise." Sam said confidently. 

"No Sam, dammit. I can't lose you." Dean replied, his voice cracking at the thought of never seeing Sam again; trying and failing to ignore his brother's famous puppy dog eyes.

"And I can't lose you either. Dean, you're my big brother, I've got to help you. Please. You can't do it alone." 

Dean turned his back on Sam, taking a step away from him before turning around and handing him his gun. "Take this. I'll teach you some basic shooting techniques when we're far enough away from here." Dean finally gave in, even though he wanted so desperately to still shadow Sam from this life. 

Sam smiled, taking the gun and putting it into the back pocket of his trousers, "Thanks Dean!" Sam hugged his brother tightly,

"It's alright kiddo." Dean smiled, only pulling away when he saw the shapeshifters getting into the Impala. "Get down." Dean whispered.

All three boys ducked down, hiding behind the log and the bushes so the shapeshifters couldn't see them. Then, when the Impala went out of sight, Dean stood up. "Dammit. There goes our weapons." He cursed, before noticing the worried look on his brother's face, "It's alright. We'll just figure out another way. You think I only keep weapons on my bag?" Dean asked, before pulling another silver knife out of his pocket and handing it to Sam. "There's yours and I've got mine." 

Despite being thirteen years old, Dean had taken it upon himself to act like the adult in the situation and look after the other two boys. However, he scared didn't even explain how he was feeling right now. He had never been on a hunt on his own and his first hunt was bad enough; he still hadn't fully gotten over it. But now his father was in trouble, so he was willing to do what he could to get him back.


	16. Not Like Him

Despite the motel being in close proximity to the diner, it took the boys a while to get there. Dean chose to take them the long way to avoid the main roads, where the shapeshifters might be looking for them. He led them down alleyways, through busy shops and down a dirt track running beside the river. Not once did he put his silver bullet loaded gun down; he had to be ready for whatever might jump out at them. 

Once they reached the motel, the older Winchester leads the other boys to their room and locked the door behind them. 

"We need to get moving. Pack whatever food you can find, Sammy." Dean suggested as he put his duffel bag on his bag and began packing his weapons inside. He was making sure the gun was fully loaded when he saw Phil standing next to him with wide eyes, a terrified expression on his face. 

"W-what are those for?" Phil stuttered, backing away from the green eyed hunter in fear. 

"They're to kill the shapeshifters." Dean replied, holding up his gun, "This is filled with silver bullets. They're the only thing that can kill a shifter. A silver knife will also harm it and weaken it." He continued, showing and explaining the different weapons and their uses to Phil. Despite liking to talk about his weapons, Dean would give anything to not tell Phil about the paranormal.

Dean suddenly turned to Sam, who interrupted his brother's show and tell by saying, "Dean, we only have one sandwich and two bottles of water."

"It's alright. I'm sure dad has money left, we'll buy something." Dean checked his pockets, as he often kept his wallet in there. Feeling nothing put a tissue and extra salt rounds in his pockets, Dean cursed under his breath. "The son of a.." Dean trailed off upon realising that there were two young children in the room. 

"What?" Sam asked, watching his brother pace up and down in front of the bed, running his hand down his face to his chin, 

"I left my wallet on the table in the diner and the shifter must've taken it." Dean explained, before murmuring, "I'm so stupid." blaming himself like he always did when something went wrong. 

"It's alright. We'll make do with this." Sam replied, before putting the sandwich and two bottle of water in Dean's bag. Dean had a bigger bag than him, and his was often filled with books so he decided to give the refreshments to Dean. 

"We still need more food." Dean stressed, soon feeling Sam's hand on his shoulder. 

"And we'll get some." Sam assured his brother and his kindness brought a small smile to Dean's face.

Dean ruffled his brother's hair, "Always the smart one, Sammy." Dean teased, once again trying to put on a brave act. He finished packing his bag, ensuring he had all the weapons, food they needed and their father's journal, which the shapeshifter -much to Dean's advantage- had left behind.

Dean zipped up his bag and put it over his shoulder, checking once more to make sure they hadn't forgotten anything. "Let's go." Dean said, leading Sam towards the door, before stopping after noticing that Phil wasn't following them. 

"Phil, come on." Dean said, finding himself ordering the boy along, much like his father did to him. 

Sam glanced at Dean, "Hang on." He said, before walking over to Phil. He placed his hand gently on his shoulder, causing Phil to give him a scared look. "We'll be alright. My brother is one of the best hunters in the world. He's really good at protecting me and he'll protect you too." Sam reassured Phil gently, not noticing the smile that had formed on Dean's face because of Sam's kind words. Those were what was keeping Dean going; he couldn't let Sam down. 

Phil nodded, still seeming unsure but he decided to trust Sam because he wanted to find his parents. 

When they were about to leave, Sam realised something. "Do we even know where they've taken dad?" Sam asked. They didn't know where their father was and they had no way of finding him, so they couldn't just walk outside with food, weapons and nothing to go on. 

As much as he wanted to find their father quickly, Dean knew that Sam had a point. "No, but we have to find him soon." Dean replied, running his hand through his short, spiky hair. 

"We'll just have to look at the information dad has on the case. Maybe there's something in there." Sam suggested, starting to think like a hunter would. He was definitely the smart one out of the two siblings. 

Dean ruffled Sam's hair, "Good thinking, Sammy." He praised, before taking his father's journal out of his bag. Their dad often kept pieces of paper in there regarding the current case he was working on. He sat down on his bed, flicking through the pages of their dad's journal, until he found a folded up article from a newspaper. "Hey look at this." Dean beckoned Sam over, "5 dead bodies found in a warehouse. There was no sign of the killer." He read out loud, before looking up at his brother, who seemed to be deep in thought. "You thinking the shifter's there?" Dean asked, wondering what his brother was thinking. 

"That would explain why dad left the article in the page about shapeshifters." Sam confirmed, feeling a little proud of himself for helping Dean figure that out. 

Dean gave Sam a smile, before putting his father's journal away and standing up. "Let's get going." He said, after figuring out which way they needed to go. He made his way over to the door before look back at Sam, "Sammy come on. We need to find dad." 

Sam bit his lip, glancing back at Phil before looking at Dean, "What about our training?" 

"You won't need it." Dean replied quickly, not wanting Sam to be in the hunting business, even though he's been dragged into it this time. 

"I will. Dean, you told me you learned to shoot when you were younger than me. I can handle this." Sam argued, his previous fear about hunting, having subsided a little now that their father was in danger. 

Dean turned away from his brother, his back facing him as he ran his hand down his face, "Sam no!" 

"Dean, what is this about? Why don't you want me to learn how to hunt like you and dad?" 

Dean bit his lip; he would give anything not to tell Sam about what their father suggested to him a couple of days ago. "Because I don't want you to, alright?" Dean snapped, his voice cracking as he spoke, which indicated just how long he'd been bottling this up and how much it had been affecting him. 

Sam flinched, not used to Dean snapping at him, but this time he didn't get upset because he was determined not to back down this time and prove to Dean that he wasn't a wimp, and was capable of learning how to hunt. "I'll be okay, Dean. I can hunt if you teach me. You can't do this all by yourself." Sam explained, not raising his voice at his brother because he knew that doing that wouldn't help anything. 

Letting out a sigh, Dean turned around to face Sam and seeing the disappointed look on his face, was what made Dean want to open up, "This hasn't got anything to do with you not being capable. Sammy, I know you're more than capable of becoming a hunter, and that..that's what scares me." He confessed, "I want you to have a life. I want you to go to school and do things that normal kids do. No one wants this life, Sam. It's bloody, it's scary and it isn't something a child should have to do. It's already too late for me, but it doesn't have to be for you." 

Sam still wasn't sure whether he wanted to be a hunter or if he wanted a normal life, he was too young to make decisions like that, but their father was in trouble and he wanted to do whatever he could to help. "I didn't say I wanted to be a hunter, but I do want to help dad. You can't shadow me from this life forever. I learn how to shoot and fight at some point." Sam explained as he walked towards his brother. 

"Dammit Sam, I know you didn't say that. It was dad." Dean quickly blurted out accidentally. He didn't want Sam to know that their father suggested that he started training to be a hunter; Dean wanted Sam to have as normal of a life as he could. 

Sam gave Dean a questioning look, wondering what his brother meant by that, because John hadn't said anything to him about it. "What do you mean? What did dad say?" He asked, walking over to Dean when he saw him shaking his head; not wanting Sam to know. However, Sam was stubborn and whenever someone was hiding something from him, he would try everything to find out. 

Dean sighed; he would give anything to not tell Sam about this. "Dad wants you to start hunting." He spoke quietly, before adding, "But you don't have to. If you want to go to school then I can persuade dad otherwise."

Sam bit his lip, he had mixed feelings about hunting; part of him wanted to fight alongside his brother, whereas another part of him felt terrified by the idea. He eventually shook his head, "No. Dean monsters are..monsters are scary and I don't want anything to do with them." Sam replied, hesitating slightly before confessing this, because he didn't want Dean to think he was pathetic, even though that thought had not once entered Dean's head. 

Dean put his arm across his brother's shoulder, "You won't have to, Sammy. Nobody's gonna make you." He reassured Sam softly, patting his back affectionately as he took his arm away from him. 

Sam nodded, "Can you at least give me something training?" He asked, watching as his brother turned away with a sigh. "Just like target practice or something, so we can save dad. Please." 

Dean was about to say no to his brother again, when he saw Sam giving him a puppy dog eyed look; something Dean couldn't resist. "Alright. Come on, we'll find an empty field." Dean replied, before swinging his bag over his shoulder and leaving the motel room. 

Sam early ran after Dean, following him through the motel with Phil running next to him. Once they were outside the motel, Dean took out his shotgun and held it in his hand as he led the two younger boys towards a forest, which was at the back of the motel. He kept a tight grip on his shotgun, getting ready to shoot should he need to. When they reached a gap in the treeline, Dean pushed open an old wooden gate which lead through a clearing and into a field. It was isolated and therefore it was the perfect place to do some training. 

There was a lone tree towards the centre of the field. It had thick roots, which were showing through the ground and not to mention a thick trunk. Dean reached into his bag and pulled out some chalk, thinking they could use the tree as a target. He draw a bullseye ring on the tree, before going back over to his bag and getting out some normal bullets. "We'll use these bullets instead, because we have to save the silver ones for the shapeshifters." Dean explained, as he loaded the bullets into a spare shotgun. 

He handed the shotgun to Sam, seeing him take it from him hesitantly. "It's alright. Don't be scared, Sammy." Dean assured him, but Sam this time his brother's reassurance didn't help, because he was still shaking. To stop Sam's shaking, Dean stood behind him, standing slightly to his side and holding Sam's arm up, helping him to aim the gun at the bullseye mark. "Now pull the trigger. It won't hurt you, although the tree might feel a bit of pain." Dean joked, trying to make his brother feel better about this. 

Sam looked up at Dean with tears in his eyes, "I-I can't." and upon seeing his brother's discomfort, Dean took the gun from him and pulled Sam into a hug. 

 

"It's okay, Sammy. You can do it. I believe in you." Dean whispered in his brother's ear, feeling Sam clutching his shirt and shaking in his arms; he was scared of hurting someone else or making a mistake when he went up against a real monster.

After a while, Sam wiped his eyes and pulled away. He felt a bit better now that he knew Dean believed in him, and now he wanted to prove to his brother that he could do this; however, that didn't help his nerves. 

"Sam." Phil said quietly, getting both of the brother's attention, "I believe you can do it too."

Sam managed a weak smile at his friend, "Thanks Phil." He said gratefully, before taking the gun again and aiming it at the target, his arm still shaking. "Dean, can you help me please?" He asked, still feeling like he needed his brother's help. 

"Yeah." Dean walked around to his brother's side, holding his arm gently as he helped Sam aim the gun, "Now press the trigger."

Letting out a deep breath, Sam pulled the trigger, closing his eyes and putting his other arm over his face as he heard the bang; he didn't want to see where the bullet went. "Nice one Sammy!" Dean exclaimed, even though Sam had only hit the edge of the bullseyes; but it was still good for his first try.  

He gave his brother a pat on the back, seeing Sam smiling up at him. "Try and see if you can get closer." Dean suggested, and with determination, Sam held the gun, this time doing it on his own. He then pressed the trigger, still flinching slightly at how loud the gunshot was. 

Sam frowned when he missed the tree completely. He looked away from Dean who put his arm across his shoulders, "It's okay, that's only your second try. If you keep going then you'll get it. You might even be better than me." Dean gave his brother a smile. 

Sam tried another three times without Dean holding his arm and every time he tried, the bullet kept missing both the bullseye. "I'll never get it right." He sighed, "I'll never be as good as you." He continued, wishing he could be like Dean, even though he knew that Dean had had a lot more practice than he had. When he felt Dean's hand on his shoulder, Sam pushed it away before throwing the gun on the floor. 

"Sammy, you know that's not true." Dean replied, a bit shocked by his brother's actions. 

"Yes it is. Dad always chooses you. You're the better son. I'm too scared to even touch a gun, let alone shoot one. I know he doesn't trust me." Sam blurted out, tears threatening to fall from his eyes, as they begun to cloud his vision. 

"Dad doesn't have favorites.." Dean trailed off when he saw Sam walking away. He wasn't sure where any of this had come from, because as far as he knew, Sam didn't have a problem with their father. Yes, he was scared of him from time to time, but he never gotten upset over John choosing Dean over him. It had always been the other way around. Dean had bottled it up for months, but with the amount of pressure his father had put on him to protect Sam, it had made Dean wonder if Sam was John's favorite. After all, he had never shown that amount of concern towards Dean. 

Dean kicked a rock across the floor, letting out his frustrated as he ran his hand through his hair and down his face; he was too deep in his own thoughts to notice Phil following Sam. 

Sam kicked a tree stump before sitting down, putting his head in his hands as he let his tears fall. He had looked up to Dean all of his life and wanted to be like him, but now he doubted if that would ever happen. 

"Sam." Sam heard a quiet, gentle voice say and he looked up to see Phil sitting next to him. "Are you okay?" Phil asked, and Sam couldn't bring himself to get annoyed at Phil for following him. 

Sam shook his head, accepting Phil's comfort when he wrapped his arms around his waist. "You will learn how to shoot. You did well the first time."

"That was because Dean was helping me." Sam murmured miserably, wiping the tears from his eyes as he hugged Phil. 

"Then let Dean help you again, until you get it right." Phil suggested, rubbing Sam's back gently to comfort him. "I've heard things from those shapeshifters about you guys. They say that Winchester's are strong and they can accomplish anything if they put their mind to it, and work together. You shouldn't give up, Sam."

Sam nodded, and shortly after, he pulled away from Phil and wiped the remaining tears from his eyes. "You're right. Thank you Phil." Sam gave Phil another quick hug, before standing up. 

"I'll race you to Dean." Phil challenged, and Sam quickly sped after him, managing to overtake him and when he reached Dean, he wrapped his arms around his brother's waist. 

Dean let out a noise when he felt Sam run into him, as he wasn't expecting it, but without hesitation, he pulled his brother into a hug, gripping onto the back of Sam's shirt, just like Sam had done to him earlier. It was a form of affectionate between the brothers and it made them feel safe. They didn't even need to say anything to each other to know that things were okay between them now.

After a while, Sam pulled away from the hug, "I want to carry on. You were right, Dean, I'll get it eventually." Sam smiled a little, feeling determined to get it right this time. 

Dean gave Sam a pat on the back, "Let's do it. I'll try to be a better teacher this time and actually tell you what to do." Dean said, before picking up his own shotgun. "You've got to keep your arm straight in front of you, and stay tense so you don't accidentally move, but not too tense because you don't want to hurt yourself." Dean explained, and Sam mirrored exactly how his brother was standing and how he was holding his arm. "Now shoot." Dean added, and at the second Sam pulled the trigger, smiling in pride when he saw that he'd hit inside the target. 

"Well done Sammy." Dean cheered, high fiving his brother. 

Sam carried on practicing for another two hours, trying his best and improving every time, Dean's praises keeping his going. For one last time, he aimed the shotgun t the tree, narrowing his eyes a little as he concentrated before shooting, a grin spreading across his face as he hit the target directly in the centre. 

"Wow! That's amazing Sam!" Dean grinned, hugging his brother tightly when Sam leaped into his arms, soon being joined by Phil. 

"I told you you could do it Sam." Phil smiled, and Sam put his arm around him too. 

And in that moment, Dean knew that Sam was ready to hunt now and finally head out on the search for their father. 

 

A/N: Hey guys! ^_^ 

I hope you're enjoying this chapter. This storyline may be wrapped in in a few more chapters, but I will be skipping forward a few years at the end of it, so don't worry, it isn't the end of the book. 

***Kind of a spoiler but not completely; more of a hint***

Also, a small hint for the next chapter: A much loved character will appear. 

Please leave a comment and tell me what you think and who you think it might be. ;) 

Thanks for reading!


	17. The Angelic Visitor

This was it. There was no turning back. Sam had trained until he couldn't anymore, Dean had made sure both boys at least knew how to shoot a gun, and now the three of them were ready to head out on a dangerous journey to find their parents.

There was no time to sleep, so after about an half an hour's rest -to restore their energy after training- Sam, Dean and Phil began walking back through the forest.

"How far have we got to go?" Phil asked, after only minutes of walking.

Dean looked down at the map, where he'd drawn the way they needed to go. "Quite far." He said, before showing Phil the map, "We're here? And the warehouse Dad's coordinates lead to is here, so I'd say we should get there by tomorrow." Dean explained, as he pointed to the motel then to where the warehouse was.

"We could always call Bobby. I'm sure he would help us." Sam suggested, not liking the sound of having to walk for that long.

"No. He lives too far away and it would take longer. We can do this on our own." Dean replied. He knew it was foolish, but part of the reason why he didn't want Bobby to be involved, was because he wanted to prove to their father that he was capable to doing things without messing up.

After two hours of walking, Dean started to feel tired and it was clear that the younger boys were feeling the same way, because they were lagging behind Dean. "Come on guys!" Dean encouraged them, not wanting to stop yet because they still had a long way to go, and he wanted to get to his dad as soon as possible.

"Dean, please can we rest. I'm tired and thirsty." Sam begged, and Dean found it difficult to say no to the puppy dog eyed look Sam was giving him.

Dean sighed, "Alright. Let's find a bench." Dean gave in, before leading the boys down a quieter street, where there wasn't many people.

There was a bench on the edge of a path, in between two trees with a trash can near by. Behind it was a bakery, where you could smell fresh bread cooking whenever somebody opened the door.  
The smell of the bread was making Dean feel hungry, but they only had one sandwich, so Dean tried to bare his hunger, like he did all the time.

Sam sat down next to Dean, with Phil at his other side. He couldn't help but notice Phil's pale complexion; it was like he hadn't eaten for days. "Phil, are you okay?" Sam asked quietly.

"I'm hungry." Phil replied shyly,

"I'll ask Dean if we can eat now." Sam said upon realising that it was already dinnertime. "Dean, where's the sandwich? Phil's hungry."

Dean ruffled his brother's hair, "I have to do everything for you, don't I Sam?" He teased as he reached into the bag and pulled out a ham sandwich.

Sam rolled his eyes and took the sandwich from Dean before handing it to Phil, who looked down at the box when he noticed that Sam had given him the whole sandwich. "But you need to eat too. I can't take all your food, Sam." Phil spoke kindly, opening the box and handing Sam half of the sandwich.

Sam didn't take it. "I'll be fine." He replied, doing exactly what Dean does to him whenever there's limited food. For some reason, Sam felt the need to protect Phil.

"No Sam. My mummy always says, you can't do stuff on an empty stomach." Phil insisted, his voice cracking and a frown forming on his face at the mention of his mother.

Sam opened his mouth, about to protest again when Dean cut him off, "Sammy you're going to eat that sandwich, even if I have to feed it to you." He threatened jokingly,

Sam frowned and reluctantly took the sandwich. He didn't say anything and just started nibbling at the end of it, feeling bad because he knew how hungry Phil was and his brother hadn't had anything to eat since this morning either.

Dean grabbed a bottle of water from his bag and drank it quickly. He clutched his stomach as it started to hurt from how hungry he was. A nausea feeling suddenly came over him as his stomach rumbled and he put his drink down, his face turning pale. The smell from the bakery wasn't helping his growing hunger and Dean soon found himself throwing up in the trash can.

Sam was at his side in the speed of light, rubbing his brother's back, like Dean used to do to him when he was sick. "It's okay, Dean." He spoke softly, handing Dean a tissue to wipe his mouth with when he's finished.

When Dean looked up, his face was pale and he had to put his hand on the trash can to steady himself. "I think we should call Bobby, and have him take you home." Sam suggested, putting his arm around Dean's waist to help him stand up.

"No, I'm fine. I just drank that water too fast, that's all." Dean brushed it off, putting on his 'I'm fine' act, because he didn't want to worry Sam more.

"If you're sure, Dean." Sam replied, before holding Dean's hand, still wanting to stay by his brother's side to make sure he's okay.  
This brought a smile to Dean's face as he put his bag over his shoulder, giving Sam's hand a gentle squeeze to tell him he was okay, even though he was far from it.

Phil was still eating his half of the sandwich as he followed the two brothers, finding himself wishing that he had a brother like Dean; someone to always look out for him. Of course his parents always did that, but Sam and Dean seemed to have a bond like no other.

They walked until the sun began to set, at which point all three of the boys were exhausted. Dean knew it was too dangerous for them to walk around at night, so he took out several blankets from his bag and set them up under a bridge. It was so quiet. The only thing you could hear was a train going over the bridge. Sam didn't wasn't happy about sleeping on the cold, damp floor but he didn't have a choice. He was too tired to carry on.

Dean lay out two blankets. One large one and a small one. He only had two cushions so he gave one to Phil and hand one for himself, agreeing to let Sam put his head on his chest to sleep. "It's a tight fit, but at least you'll be warm, Sammy." Dean said, moving towards the edge of the blanket, giving Sam more than enough room to lie down. He wanted to make sure Sam would be warm enough throughout the night; he'd already given Phil his spare sweatshirt and thicker blanket.

Sam climbed underneath the blanket, putting his head on his brother's chest as his jacket was underneath him; he didn't want to touch the stone cold floor.

Currently, Phil was too tired to care about the damp floor, so not long after his head hit the cushion he fell asleep. The Winchesters, however, couldn't sleep. The hunger pains in Dean's stomach were keeping him awake and not to mention the worry about finding their father, and Sam couldn't get comfortable because he didn't have his teddy bear.

Dean started stroking his brother's curls, "Go to sleep, Sammy. We're safe here. Besides, I've got my gun if anything comes." Dean assured him softly, thinking Sam was too scared to fall asleep.

The soothing motions Dean was making on his head was only helping a little, and Sam soon found the courage to ask Dean for what he wanted, "Where's my teddy bear?" He asked, his voice almost inaudible.

"I've got it." Dean whispered, before pulling Sam's brown teddy bear out of his bag and cuddling it up to Sam, "See? Teddy isn't going anywhere." Dean stroked Sam's cold cheek with the bear's soft fur, causing Sam's eyelids to open then close, as he struggled to stay awake. Dean managed a smile when he saw his brother fall asleep, and he kept him in his arms as he snuggled the bear up to Sam, seeing his brother reach his arm out and hold the bear close to his chest.

Sam slept peacefully for about four hours, before waking up. The jacket may have stopped the dampness but the concrete floor was still uncomfortable for the younger Winchester. He sat up, rubbing his side which he'd been lying on for the past four or so hours. His eyes searched for Dean, and he soon noticed a silhouette of somebody shivering violently, not very far away from him. The bridge was dark so Sam put his teddy bear aside and grabbed his torch, that he'd put next to him before he fell asleep.

"Dean?" sam whispered as he crawled across the floor to his brother. When he saw how pale and not to mention weak Dean looked, Sam started to panic. They had no food left, nor did they have any money to buy some, so Sam didn't know what to do.

Dean slowly looked over at his brother, struggling to keep his eyes open because he felt so weak. "I-I-I'm f-fine." He shivered, but Sam didn't believe him whatsoever. He reached for his brother's wrist, his pulse only beating very lightly and his skin as cold as ice.

Sam grabbed the blanket he'd been lying under, putting his over his brother, but Dean attempted to kick it off. "No.." He spoke quietly,

"You need it more than I do." Sam replied, but Dean was too stubborn and ended up pushing it off him with all the strength he had. "Dean, you take care of me, so please let me take care of you. Just this once." Sam begged, giving dean a puppy dog eyed look.

Dean opened his mouth to answer Sam, when suddenly his eyes shut and he stopped shivering. Sam's heart stopped and he nudged Dean, calling his name to try and get him to answer. "Dean, please wake up. You can't leave me. I need you." He begged desperately, his voice cracking as tears began to fall down his cheeks. Sam wrapped the blanket tightly around Dean, pulling his brother into his arms, trying everything he could to warm him up, but Dean wasn't just unconscious because of the cold, he was also beyond hungry.

Sam let out a sob, only looking up when he heard the sound of wings fluttering. He looked around, reaching for his brother's salt gun when he saw a man behind him. The man had black hair, that was sticking up in all directions, piercing blue eyes and a beige trenchcoat.

"I am not here to hurt you. I've come to help your brother." The man spoke in a deep voice, moving two fingers towards Dean's forehead, but Sam pushed them away, unsure whether or not he could trust this man.

"Stay away from him." Sam spoke firmly, standing up and pointing the gun at the man's chest.

The man narrowed his eyes, tilting his head to the side as he looked at Sam, oddly calm for a man who has a gun pointed at his chest. "Who are you?" Sam demanded, his finger resting on the trigger of the gun.

"I am Castiel. I'm an angel of the Lord." The man replied,

"My brother said there's no such thing." Sam argued,

Castiel looked at Sam, his stare intimidating the young Winchester a little. "That's because your brother doesn't have faith, but he will further down the line." 

Sam raised an eyebrow, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You will find out at some point. For now, I must heal your brother." Castiel replied, once again being stopped by Sam when he moved his fingers towards Dean's head.

"Prove to me you're an angel. For all I know you could be a shapeshifter." Sam continued. He was surprised by how firm he was being with this man, because Sam was usually the quiet one and he rarely ever raised his voice at anyone.

Castiel stepped back. Suddenly a rubbling sound errupted out of nowhere and lightening filled the space around the bridge. Two magnificent blacm wings spread out across the wall, and Sam stared at them in awe, having to remind himself that this wasn't a dream; the younger Winchester had never met such a fascinating creature before. He thought all monsters were bad.

"They're so cool.." He murmured in disbelief, but despite his fascination with the angel, Sam still kept his distance from him.

The thunder and lightening stopped, at which point Castiel's wings disappeared too. "The feathers on them are warm actually." He replied innocently, taking what Sam said literal.

Sam couldn't help but smile a little at Castiel's innocence, however he didn't comment on it because he still felt wary of the angel. "I'm sorry if I'm being rude for asking, but what can you do?" He asked curiously,

"You are not being rude, Sam. You and your brother are talked a lot about in Heaven. The angels seem to like you." Castiel replied, and his words brought a smile to Sam's face. "As for what I can do. I am more powerful than anything you or your father has faced. I can make things appear, kill people and heal them. That is why I am here to heal your brother."

A smile remained on Sam's lips as he listened to Castiel speak; he found it fascinating what he could do. "Being an angel sounds good. I wouldn't mind that!" He exclaimed enthusiastically, smiling as he look up at Castiel.

"We are warriors of Heaven. It isn't 'good' as you call it. It can be quite violent sometimes, but we do what we have to do." Castiel explained in a constant deep, emotionless tone.

"My dad's job is dangerous. He wants me to go into the hunting buisness, but I don't want that." Sam suddenly found himself opening up to the angel, for some reason, feeling like he could trust him already.

"I won't tell you too much, but you are destined to be a hunter. That is what is written."

Sam felt disappointment flow through him at Castiel's answer. He would do anything not to be a hunter. "Why? What if I choose not to be?"

"I don't know why, but Heaven has plans for you and Dean."

Sam was growing more and more confused, "What kind of plans?"

"You will find out later in your life." Castiel replied simply, before walking over to Dean. This time Sam didn't stop him, and Castiel bent down, placing two fingers on Dean's forehead and a dull white light was visible in Dean's forehead for a moment. Then Dean was healed in a matter of seconds. "Dean will sleep until morning. I hear that rest is a human need, so you must rest too." Castiel moved his hand towards Sam, but Sam moved away.

"Not until you tell me what the plans are." Sam said stubbornly, not planning on sleeping until Castiel gave him information.

"You will find out." Castiel repeated, soon seeing Sam giving him a frustrated look, "Heaven has given me instructions and I must not tell you until later in your life. You must understand. I didn't come to talk to you. Dean was my priority for tonight. I came down here when I wasn't supposed to, to make sure he lives." He explained, only making the younger Winchester more confused.

"But why us? Why Dean? We're not anybody special." Sam continued,

Castiel was getting tired of Sam's questions so, before Sam could react Castiel touched his fingers to his forehead and sent him to sleep.  
He lowered Sam onto one of the cushions and put the blanket around him. He had been watching over then since they left the breakfast diner, so he knew that not only had Dean starved himself but he'd also given his only blanket to Sam -giving Phil the other one. So, not wanting Dean to catch a cold, Castiel took off his trenchcoat and wrapped it around the elder hunter.

The corner of Castiel's mouth curved up into a tiny smile when he saw Dean cling onto his trenchcoat, seeming to like the warmth of it. Castiel was confused about why he was almost smiling, because angels weren't supposed to show any emotions. After all, it was considered a form of weakness in Heaven, and Castiel didn't want to be weak.

Castiel made sure that both of the Winchester boys, and Phil, had a peaceful night's sleep for a change, because he knew that they would all be in a lot of danger tomorrow, and therefore they needed to be alert.

He stayed under the bridge, watching over Dean until the sun came up, at which point he teleported onto the top of the bridge, accidentally forgetting his beige trenchcoat, which was still over Dean. 

 

A/N: Hey guys!  
I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I thought it would be cute if Castiel has been watching over Dean since a young age, but Dean doesn't know anything about it.  
There will be more of Castiel so don't worry ;)

Also, for those who don't know what Castiel was referring to when he said he had work for Sam and Dean, he was referring to the apocalypse. But neither of the boys find that out until season 4 or 5 of the show, so I didn't want to reveal it now.

Please leave a comment. It would be great to know what you guys think of the story so far. ^_^


	18. Broken Promises

Something felt different. When the elder Winchester went to sleep last night he had felt weak, and had excruciating cramps in his stomach from hunger, but now he felt fine. In fact, it was the best he’d felt for a while. Rubbing his eyes, Dean sat up, getting familiar again with his surroundings before looking at Sam. He smiled when he saw his brother in a deep sleep, not even the sound of a train going over the bridge woke him up. Nobody knew how much Dean would give to let Sam have a peaceful life, that didn’t involve monsters, and he hoped that once this was over, Sam would be able to have that life. 

 

He looked down at his watch, his stomach doing a somersault when he realised that they should be leaving soon. Despite wanting to find their father as quickly as they could, Dean was feeling nervous, because he didn’t know what lay ahead for them, and this time they didn’t have an experienced hunter to make sure they win. The fight could easily turn bad. 

 

The second Sam woke up, Dean went back behind his strong mask, hiding the worry on his face, because he knew that his father would be ashamed of him if he suddenly started freaking out. It wouldn’t be what their dad would want. “Morning Sammy.” Dean forced a smile, before only just noticing that there was a beige trenchcoat over him. He looked from the trenchcoat to Sam, raising an eyebrow in confusion. “What’s this?” Dean asked, and remembering what Castiel said about not letting Dean find out about the existence of angels, Sam shrugged, “I found it on the floor and you were shivering, so I put it over you.” Sam explained, feeling bad for lying to his brother but he didn’t want Castiel to get mad at him; who knows what an angel could do when its angry. 

 

Dean frowned before giving Sam a grateful look; it felt weird but nice to have somebody looking out for him for a change. “Thanks Sam.” 

 

“It’s alright, Dean.” Sam smiled, before looking over at Phil and seeing that he was now awake. “Morning Phil. Are you alright?” Sam asked, upon seeing Phil curled up, hugging his knees as tight as he could.

 

Phil shook his head, “I’m scared, Sam.” He muttered, looking up from his knees with a look of pure fear on his face. 

 

Sam knelt down, putting his arm across Phil’s shoulders and pulling him into a hug. “Don’t worry, you’ll be okay.” Sam reassured him gently.

 

“What about my mom and dad?” He asked and Sam hugged him tightly when he saw tears threatening to spill from Phil’s eyes.

 

Dean crouched down in front of the two boys, “They’ll be okay, and we’ll make sure of that. We’ll get there, save our parents and kill the shifters. Nobody’s going to get hurt.” Dean promised, his voice firm, showing that he was going to make sure that everyone would be okay; that was his job, after all. 

 

Phil nodded, feeling better after Dean’s reassurance but he hadn’t done anything like this before, he only found out about shapeshifters no less than a couple of days ago, so he was still freaking out inside. However, he wanted to be brave, just like the Winchesters, so he tried not to make a fuss. 

 

Sam helped his brother pack the duffle bag, making sure they had all the blankets, weapons and everything else they needed. Dean attached his gun to his belt, putting his silver knife in his pocket. He then neatly folded the beige trenchcoat and putting it into his bag. For some reason, Dean felt like he couldn’t leave it under the bridge, because then it would get ruined and, as much as he didn't want to admit it, it gave him a feeling of safety; which was something he needed right now. 

Taking one final look glance around the bridge, Dean looked up at Sam and Phil, "Alright. Let's go." He said, before walking away from the bridge with the two boys following close behind him. Before they left Dean had had a quick look at a map to see where they had to go, and luckily it the warehouse was only about half an hour away. 

The warehouse looked derelict from the outside and the grass surrounding it was overgrown and not to mention full of weeds, showing that there had long since been anybody here; anybody human at least. 

The three boys made their way through the grass, hiding behind a bush so they wouldn't be seen. Dean took the map out of his pocket, taking one glance at the warehouse, his stomach doing a somersault when he looked back down at the map; this was it, they were here and there was no turning back now. 

Dean pinched the bridge of his nose before running his hand down his face, "Okay.." He took a deep breath, trying to control the nerves that were building up inside him. For a moment Dean was considering turning back and calling Bobby to help them, but when he felt his brother's hand on his shoulder and turned his head to see his caring expression, Dean changed his mind. He knew he couldn't let his brother down. Sam was always the reason why Dean kept going and didn't give up, because he knew he had to fight for him.

"It's okay, Dean. We'll find dad and we'll all be okay." Sam reassured him softly, patting his brother's shoulder. 

Dean managed a weak smile before pulling Sam into a hug, clutching onto the back of his shirt and closing his eyes. "I know. Thank you, Sammy." He patted Sam's back before pulling away from the hug. 

Dean pulled out his gun, making sure it was loaded with silver bullets. Despite knowing that it was foolish to do this alone Dean couldn't have Sam be in the middle of the action because he'd be constantly worrying about something happening to his brother; Dean would never forgive himself if he let something happen to Sam. "I'll go first, you two should wait out here. If I need you then I'll call." Dean explained, about to walk towards the warehouse when Sam grabbed his arm. 

"I can't let you go alone, what if you get hurt?" Sam said, giving his brother and puppy dog eyed look, worried about Dean getting hurt. 

"I'll be fine, Sam. I always am, and I'll be back out here before you know it." Dean reassured him, ruffling his brother's hair gently. "Now, have you got your knife and your gun?" He asked, just to make sure Sam had everything in case he did need to defend himself. 

Sam nodded, "Yes Dean. Just be careful, I-I can't lost you." Sam replied, his voice cracking as he spoke. 

Dean patted his brother's shoulder, "I will, I promise I'll see you soon." He then leaned over to Sam, pressing a kiss to his forehead before walking away. He didn't look back as he made his way over to the warehouse, because he knew if he saw the look on his brother's face then he would stay with him. 

He kept his gun to his chest, his finger resting on the trigger as he silently pushed the door open, stepping into the warehouse. It was dull inside and the lights were flickering. Dean put his hand over his mouth when he smelled something bad, soon his expression dropping when he noticed a trail of blood on the floor. He tried to banish any worrying thoughts about their father being hurt and crept through the warehouse, keeping his back to one of the shelves so nothing could creep up behind him. 

He felt his heart stop when he saw the trail of blood leading to two men and a woman tied to some chairs. Even though the one of the men had their head hanging down, Dean could make out his black hair and face, which looked a lot like their father's. Taking one look around, checking for any shapeshifters, Dean ran over to his dad. "Dad? Dad!" He patted his dad's cheek to try and wake him up, putting his hand on his shoulder. He tried to hold back the tears that were forming in his eyes when his father didn't move, his heart suddenly feeling heavy in his chest. "Dad!" His voice cracked as he called his father's name louder, praying that he would wake up soon. "P-please." He practically begged, freezing when suddenly he heard footsteps behind him. 

Dean quickly turned around, holding his gun out in front of him when he saw a man standing there. 

The man had a smirk on his face, "Don't worry, little Winchester, he's alive. Only just. He’s fading very slowly." 

"Let him go." Dean spat, aiming the gun at the man's chest. 

"No." The man shook his head, a sly smile remaining on his face, 

Dean narrowed his eyes into a glare, now putting on his brave act like his father had taught him, "What do you want with us?" 

The man scoffed, "Are you kidding? Papa Winchester's been killing our kind off for the past year, I thought we should give him a taste of his own medicine." 

"I didn't know you shifters started your own pharmacy." Dean mocked confidentially, 

The man glared, suddenly slamming Dean against a nearby shelf, holding him by the throat. "Don't get smart with me, Winchester. It would be a pleasure to kill you." 

Inside Dean was terrified, but his confidence didn't alter, "Well I wish you the best of luck with that." He replied sarcastically, punching the shapeshifter in the side before kicking him between the legs, quickly picking up his gun and aiming it at the man. 

 

The shifter smirked and it wasn’t until he felt some arms wrap tightly around his middle, that Dean realised there was more than one shifter here, and the other one was right behind him. “Let me go!” Dean struggled in its arms, swinging his fists in the air in an attempt to punch it, accidentally dropping his gun on the floor as he did so. 

 

“Kill him.” One of the ordered, and Dean’s eyes widened in fear. He’d never been in a situation like this before and having nobody to help him, terrified the hunter. 

 

**** **** ****

 

It felt like he’d been waiting a lifetime for his brother. Sam had almost worn the grass out from the amount of time he’d been pacing for; not knowing whether or not his brother was alive, was killing him. 

 

“He’ll be fine, Sam. I’m sure he knows what he’s doing.” Phil repeated for the fifth time, standing in front of the younger Winchester to stop him from pacing. 

 

“You don’t know that.” Sam sighed, running his fingers through his mop of hair. 

 

“Maybe we could call your uncle Bobby?” Phil suggested, hoping that if they had one more adult with them then they would be safe enough; he was too scared to go into the warehouse on his own. 

 

Sam shook his head, “He’ll take too long to get here.” Sam replied, about to start pacing again when he heard a loud bang that rumbled through the air, making Sam’s heart drop; it was a gunshot. “Dean!” Sam yelled, and without considering what might be in there, he sprinted towards the warehouse, with Phil following behind him. 

 

He flung the door open, seeing three shadows on the floor, so he ran around one of the shelving units, his eyes widening in horror when he saw a dead body on the floor. 

 

“Sammy?” He heard a deep voice say from behind him, and Sam turned around, only to see his father standing there with Dean. 

 

“Dee!” He threw himself at his brother, wrapping his arms tightly around his waist as he pulled him into a hug. “I thought you..you got hurt.” Sam’s voice was muffled but Dean heard it cracking as he spoke. 

 

Dean rubbed Sam’s back gently, hugging him close to him, “It’s okay, Sam. We’re all okay.” Dean looked up at their dad, giving him a grateful but confused look; he was wondering how his dad had found the strength to untie himself and shoot the shifter before it hurt him, because the last time Dean checked, his dad barely had a pulse. None of the three of them had noticed the trenchcoated angel in the corner of the room; the only person able to properly heal someone in a short amount of time. 

 

Dean pulled away from the hug when he heard somebody let out a loud scream, before breaking into gut wrenching sobs. “Phil. Hey, it’s okay.” Dean said as he pulled the sobbing child into his arms. Dean looked at Sam, unsure why Phil was acting like this. At first he thought it was the dead shapeshifter on the floor, but when his eyes followed a trail of blood to one of the people on the chairs, Dean realised why Phil was so upset. The two other adults were Phil’s parents and one of them had a bullet through their chest. 

 

“It’s not okay!” Phil struggled to breath through sobs as he buried his head in Dean’s shirt. 

 

“Dean, give him to Sam and tell Sam to take him outside.” John ordered, 

 

“Dad, I’m not leaving Dean.” Sam argued, which surprised Dean because Sam had always been wary of their father and therefore wouldn’t talk back to him. 

 

“You’ll do as I say, son.” John replied firmly, his dangerous tone telling Sam that he didn’t have a choice. 

 

“Nobody’s going anywhere.” A voice said and the three Winchester’s saw five more shapeshifters emerging from the dark. 

 

“Great, more of you jerks.” Dean smirked slightly, pushing Phil behind him and aiming his gun at the shapeshifters, signalling Sam to get his knife out. 

 

“That’s the problem with you Winchesters. You think you’re better than us.” 

 

“Oh, we aren’t trying to be better.” Dean replied, before smirking confidently, “Because we already are.” He added, then with the press of the trigger, Dean shot one of the shapeshifter, the others looking furious when it dropped to the floor; dead. 

 

When their father started attacking the rest of the shapeshifters, Dean turned to Sam and Phil, “Go and untie Phil’s mom. We’ve got this.” Dean ordered, happy when Sam obeyed him; he wanted to keep his brother as far from the action as he could. 

 

Dean ran over to help their father, managing to kill another shapeshifter as he approached him. This gave Dean a burst of confidence, and he proceeded to swing punches at the shifters, dodging some of the hits they threw at him. 

 

“Don’t get too confident, son.” His father warned him, but like any other kid Dean’s age, Dean didn’t listen to him and in fact ran at one of the shapeshifters, trying to tackle it to the floor; however, he soon found himself getting thrown against one of the shelves, glass smashing and inflicting cuts all over him.   
Dean attempted to stand up, but before he could, the shapeshifter punched him in the face, giving him a black eye. That was when Dean realised he had dropped his gun and the shapeshifter had picked it up. The older Winchester’s eyes widened in fear as he saw the shapeshifter pointing the gun at his head. “Do it. It’ll only make me angry.” Dean threatened, narrowing his eyes into a glare, trying to hide that he was shaking in fear, by putting on a brave front. 

 

“You’re wrong. It’ll mean there is one less annoying ass hunter in our life. Although, what would the hunting world have lost? You’re just daddy’s little soldier, who takes care of his brother more than himself. You’ll never be a good hunter, not like your dad is. I mean, you try to protect your family, but tell me, where were you the night of the fire? Whose fault was it that little Sammy got kidnapped?” The shapeshifter spat, and Dean felt like he had been stabbed in the chest. He knew everything that the shapeshifter was saying is true, but he couldn’t let the monster know that its words had gotten to him, so once again Dean tried to act strong. 

 

“I bet you’re really good at protecting your family too. Oh wait, I killed them.” Dean mocked, which only earned him a hard kick in the stomach. 

 

Dean coughed up blood as he looked up at the shapeshifter. “Don’t talk about my family like that. I should’ve just killed you already.” The gun cocked and Dean closed his eyes and within a few seconds he heard the bang of a gun, however he didn’t feel the pain that he thought he would feel. When he opened his eyes, he noticed the shifter lying dead on the floor, with his brother standing over it. 

 

“Sammy?” He coughed, wiping the blood from his mouth. 

 

Sam rushed to his brother’s side, putting his hand on his shoulder as he helped Dean to sit up. “Are you okay?” He asked. Normally Sam would be horrified at the thought of killing anything, but seeing Dean held at gunpoint, awoke something inside Sam, a feeling he hadn’t experience before but it had given him enough adrenaline and courage to shoot the shapeshifter and save Dean; it was the urge to protect his brother, just like Dean had protected him all these years. 

 

Dean forced a smile, “I’m fantastic.” He replied sarcastically, getting to his feet with Sam’s aid. “Thank you.” He said, giving Sam an affectionate pat on the back, “I mean, I could've handled it myself but didn’t want you to feel like you were being completely useless.” Dean joked, even though he was grateful that Sam had been there, and looked out for him like Dean would’ve done if it was Sam in that position; however, he hoped that that day would never come, because he still believed that there was hope for Sam. 

 

Sam smiled, gently giving Dean a punch to the arm, “Whatever.” He jokingly rolled his eyes, before looking over at their father. “Let’s go and help dad.” Sam suggested, and with that both of the brother’s ran off to fight the two remaining shapeshifters. 

 

________________

 

Although he didn’t want to admit it, Dean thought Sam was good in a fight. He wasn’t as strong as Dean, however, because he hadn’t had very much experience with hand-to-hand combat, but Dean was still very impressed. Despite this, both Dean and their father had tried to stay on the front line of the action, as they didn’t want Sam to get hurt. 

 

After Sam had weakened the last shapeshifter, by cutting it with a silver knife, Dean finished it off with a bang of his gun. He looked up and smiled triumph at Sam, however that smile faded quickly when he heard a scream from the other side of the warehouse. 

 

John pushed Sam and Dean aside, standing in front of them to protect them, when he saw another shapeshifter holding Phil with a knife to his throat.

 

“I thought we’d defeated all of you jerks.” Dean spoke up, mirroring his father’s stance and keeping Sam behind him to protect him. 

 

“You’re the leader, aren’t you?” John asked, and the evil smirk the shifter was giving them, confirmed this theory. 

 

“We want the weapon, Winchester, or the kid dies.” The shapeshifter threatened, and Dean gave it a death glare when he heard Phil let out a choked whimper. 

 

“Dad, what weapon?” Sam asked,

 

“Sam, be quiet. It doesn’t matter, because they aren’t getting it.” John replied firmly, and Sam daren’t talk back to his father, so he remained quiet, despite wondering what was going on. 

 

“Oh, I’ll get it one way. You killed my whole pack, so it’ll be easy for me to kill both of your boys.”

 

“Dad, what’s it talking about? Why does it want a weapon so bad?” Sam asked again, and this time John snapped, “Stop asking questions! Just trust me on this, alright?”   
Sam lowered his head, hating his dad’s loud tone. 

 

“Where is it, Winchester?” The shapeshifter demanded, pressing the knife down on Phil’s throat and causing the boy to let out a choking sound, “Tell me, or the boy gets it in three seconds.”

 

Dean could see the look of terror on Phil’s face, but he also noticed a look of betrayal, since Dean had promised to keep him safe. However, Dean was too cowardly to speak it and it soon became too late to do so, when he heard Sam shout, “Dad, please! You can’t let Phil get hurt, just because of a weapon.” causing their father to give him a hard glare, telling his younger son that he’ll be talking to him later; Dean knew that that didn’t mean anything good. 

 

“I destroyed it. It doesn’t kill what I need it to kill, so I destroyed it.” John explained. 

 

The shapeshifter grew furious, “You what?!” 

 

“You heard me, now let the boy go.” John demanded, pointing his gun at the shapeshifter when it didn’t do what he asked. 

 

Dean felt his stomach knot and a feeling of dread overwhelm him when he watched what happened next. It happened so quickly; Phil’s mother ran up behind the shapeshifter, with a silver knife, about to stab it in the back when it turned around and stabbed Phil’s mother in the stomach. 

 

Within a second the shapeshifter was dead on the floor -John had shot it- and Phil let out a loud cry, kneeling down by his mother’s side. Sam ran over to Phil, rubbing his back gently to try and calm him down. 

 

Phil’s mother reached her hand up and gently wiped the tears from Phil’s cheek, “It’s going to be okay, sweetie.” She spoke softly, her other hand firmly over the stab wound, where there was blood pouring out. 

 

“I-it’s no-not.” Phil spluttered, taking his mother’s hand and holding it tightly, 

 

Sam looked up at John, tears in his own eyes; he didn’t want Phil to lose both of his parents, as it was bad enough just losing one. “Dad, please, do something!” Sam’s voice cracked as he spoke, showing how desperate he felt to save Phil’s mom. 

 

“We should get her to the hospital.” John suggested, looking oddly calm, despite the situation. 

 

John walked over to Phil’s mother, putting his hands underneath her to pick her up bridal style when she let out a scream of pain. “That hurts! Stop!” She cried, forcing John to put her down. 

 

Sam gave his dad a worried look, unsure what to do, when suddenly something came to mind. “Castiel!” He shouted, looking around, but nobody came.

 

“Who’s Castiel?” Dean asked, but Sam ignored him and turned back to Phil.

 

“Your mom’s going to be okay. We promised, remember?” Sam said, even though there was nothing they could do; Phil’s mom had lost a lot of blood, so she was too weak to walk anywhere and she said it hurt too much to even move. 

 

Phil moved closer to his mother, not caring that he was getting blood over him, “Mom, pl-please.” The young boy cried, practically begging for his mother to be okay; causing Sam to get a lump in his throat. 

 

"Come here." His mother said, patting her chest weakly to let Phil lie down. 

 

Phil didn't hesitate before lying down on his mother's chest, moving as close to her as he could when she wrapped her arm around him. "Wh-what am I sup-supposed to do?" Phil asked quietly, letting out sobs every now and then. 

 

"Don't you have any other family?" John asked, but Phil shook his head; he didn't get along with his other family members, not like how he got along with his mother and father. 

 

"You're going to be okay." Phil's mother repeated, gently stroking Phil's black hair away from his face. 

 

"I ne-need you." Phil sobbed, "I don't wa-want you to go." He added, now only able to hear his mother's heartbeat faintly as her breathing became shallower. 

 

"Stay strong, Phil. Don't forget that mommy and daddy love you, and we'll be watching over you. You're going to be okay." She whispered, which only made Phil cry more. 

 

"I-I love y-you too, mo-mommy." Phil spluttered, and Phil's mother managed a weak smile before her body went still. 

 

Upon seeing this, Sam looked at Dean, who was currently standing there in shock, not displaying any emotions but just staring at Phil. Dean was upset for Phil, in fact he wished he could go back in time and somehow prevent it from happening, but he couldn't, and that's what was eating at him. His father had told him multiple times that they couldn't save everyone, and had even shouted at Dean on one occasion for crying over it; Dean had gone straight to Sam for comfort, despite Sam not knowing about hunting at the time. Sam had always been able to make Dean feel better, no matter what. 

 

“Phil, I am so sorry.” Dean whispered, feeling as if this was his fault, after all, he did promise Phil that his parents would be okay. 

 

Tears were falling down Sam's cheeks, because he too felt like he had let his friend down. He looked over at their father, who was packing weapons into his duffel bag, not seeming anywhere near as bothered as the brother's were about this. 

 

“Come on boys, we have to go before the cops get here. We'll take Phil to Bobby's, he knows some people he can stay with.” John suggested, holding his bag over his shoulder.

 

“No!” Phil wailed, still clinging tightly to his mother.

 

Their father's loud and intimidating voice was only making Phil worse, so Sam decided to take it into his own hands and comfort his friend. “Phil, we're so sorry, but where we’re going is a nice place. Our uncle Bobby will take care of you. You'll be okay.” 

 

Phil slowly moved away from his mother, his face pale and his cheeks stained by tears. “I-I want my mom.” He choked out. 

 

“I know.” Sam replied softly, before pulling Phil into a hug.

 

Phil wrapped his arms tightly around Sam, his head resting on the younger Winchester’s chest, and Sam hugged him close, stroking his hair gently, much like how Dean used to do to him whenever he needed comforting. “You’re going to be okay, Phil. Bobby will make sure you’re okay. He always makes sure we’re okay.” Sam whispered sweetly, feeling Phil moving closer to him and leaning into his touch. 

 

Dean was watching the two boys. He couldn’t help but think about how far his brother had come, during these past months. It didn’t feel like it had been very long since he was holding Sam in his arms after he found out about hunting, and now it was Sam who was protecting people from the things that go bump in the night. Things sure had changed. 

 

A/N: Hey guys!  
I'm sorry for any feels this chapter has caused, but I hope you all enjoyed it.  
Please tell me what you think. All comments are appreciated.


	19. New Family

The drive to Bobby's was quiet. John was keeping his eyes on the road, not saying anything to the boys; Dean was staring out of the window, trying to hide how upset he was over this; Phil was crying silently; and Sam was dwelling on how badly his first hunting trip went. Dean had always been brave and that's why Sam looked up to him and wanted to be like him. He made hunting look so easy, and it was making Sam wonder if all of this was his fault, after all, he wasn't as experienced as Dean.

Sam got out of the car once his father had parked in the familiar junk yard. Without uttering a word to anybody, Sam put his bag over his shoulder and walked straight up to his bedroom, shutting the door behind him. It wasn't like him to hide his emotions, as it was usually Dean who did that, but after what he'd just witnessed, all Sam wanted right now was to be alone.

Phil was still crying when they arrived and he stayed in the car, not wanting a stranger to see him this upset.

Dean was about to walk inside with their father, when he turned and noticed Phil sitting in the car, with his head resting against the window.

Dean got into the other side of the backseat, shuffling closer to Phil. He bit his lip, unsure if Phil would want to even be around him after he failed to protect him and his family. "Phil, I am so sorry."

Much to Dean's surprise, Phil wrapped his arms around his waist, burying his head in his chest. "It isn't your fault, Dean." Phil said quietly, his voice muffled and Dean couldn't help but smile a little at his kindness.

However, that smile didn't last for long. "I still promised to protect you." Dean sighed heavily, as he stroked Phil's hair.

Phil hugged Dean tighter, partly for his own comfort and to reassure the hunter. "I know.." Phil whimpered, and Dean gave him a sad smile wiping the tears from his cheeks.

Both boys stayed in each other's arms for a while. Dean wanted to do what he could for Phil, even though nothing would make up for not protecting him, and Dean knew this. He would never forgive himself, and not to mention that he was worried about what his father now thought of him; he wasn't the 'man' his dad wanted him to be.

Dean glanced down at Phil, noticing that he'd managed to cry himself to sleep and was now sleeping peacefully in his arms. Dean let out a small sigh, only looking up when he heard a faint knocking at the window.

With Phil in his arms, Dean struggled to open the door.

Bobby rolled his eyes at Dean's struggle and opened the door for him, "Do I have to do everything for you, ye' idjit." Bobby grumbled jokingly, which brought a genuine smile to Dean's face; something that Dean didn't think was possible right now.

"Yes." Dean whispered. He then carefully moved Phil into Bobby's arms, before climbing out of the car, shutting the door behind him and instantly putting on a strong act, not wanting his father to think he was weak.

Bobby had always been someone who could see through Dean's strong act, and this time was no different. "Are you okay, son?" Bobby asked, and Dean nodded, which caused Bobby to raise an eyebrow at him,

"I'm fine." Dean replied firmly, looking away from Bobby as a single tear formed in his eye, which eh quickly blinked back before looking up again.

Bobby didn't believe Dean for a second, but he knew pushing him to talk about it wouldn't do any good, so Bobby tactfully decided to make Dean go to Sam; Sam had always been the person who would make Dean feel better, and Bobby could see this. "Okay. I'll take care of Phil, you'd better go and check on your brother." Bobby replied, giving Dean an affectionate pat on the back.

"Okay." Dean nodded, before entering the house; however, he was soon greeted by his father.

"Dean, can I have a word with you?" John asked, in his usual firm voice.

"Yes sir." Dean replied quietly; despite not wanting to talk to anyone right now, he knew he couldn't ignore their father.

John lead Dean into the living room, where they could talk alone without anybody overhearing. "You did good today, Dean." Those five words caused Dean to look up at his father almost suspiciously.

John smiled a little, "Don't worry, I'm not a shifter."

A smile spread across Dean's lips. This was the happiest he'd felt all day; an approval from his father meant the world to him, because it meant that his trust had been restored in Dean. However, that happiness soon faded when he heard what his father said next.

"But I don't want you moping around after every hunt. You have to be strong, boy. You have to get the job done, put whatever it is behind you and move on. You're part of this life now and so is your brother."

Even though Dean wanted to argue with their dad and tell them that Sam wasn't going to be a hunter, Dean knew better; instead he just took a deep breath and nodded, "Yes sir."

"You have a responsibility. And it's time you took this seriously, otherwise more people will die." John continued, and this only made Dean's guilt grow, convincing him that this was his fault.

"Yes, sir." Dean repeated, trying to hide the sadness in his voice.

He let out a sigh, watching as his father stomped into the kitchen to get himself a beer. Their dad would always have a beer after a hunt, which only made his anger worse and if Bobby wasn't around then he'd be more than likely to take it out on his son's; mostly Dean, because Dean didn't want Sam to be exposed to that. Their dad could be quite scary when he was angry.

Dean dragged his feet along the floor to the bedroom he shared with his brother. Putting on his usual strong act, Dean entered the room, closing the door behind him.

Sam was lay on the bed. He had his teddy bear held close to him and he didn't react when he heard Dean enter the room.

"Hey Sammy." Dean said to get his attention, but the only reaction he got from Sam, was a sad look. Dean sat down, opening his arms out to Sam, "Come here." He said softly and Sam didn't hesitate before throwing himself into his brother's arms. 

Silent tears fell down Sam's cheeks, his body trembling as he cuddled closer to his brother. The gentle stroking motions that Dean was making on his head, helping to calm him.

"W-we couldn't save Phil's parents." Sam whimpered, leaning into Dean, who felt a pang in his chest at Sam's word. Sam was too young to carry the burden of having to save people, on his shoulders.

"It wasn't your fault. I should've called Bobby to help us." Dean reassured him, pushing his own sadness aside so he could make his brother feel better. "Don't blame yourself for this, Sammy. There was nothing you could do. There's no point dwelling on it." He continued, stroking Sam's curls gently before placing a kiss on his forehead.

What Sam said next made Dean feel like his heart had been shattered into millions of pieces. "I'm scared, Dean. I don't want to be a hunter." Sam sniffled.

Dean let out a quiet sigh, and despite knowing that their dad was going to do what he could to force them into the hunting life, Dean replied, "You don't have to be."

"But dad said I had to..." Sam interrupted,

"It doesn't matter what dad said." Dean couldn't believe what he just said. He never disobeyed their father, because it always made him angry and both of the boys hated it when he was angry. But Dean was so desperate to keep Sam away from this life, that he was willing to stand up to their father.

"Won't dad get mad if we don't do as he says?" Sam questioned quietly, as if he was frightened of their father overhearing.

"Probably." Dean sighed, moving his hand so he was hugging Sam in a protective way, "No matter what happens, I won't let anything hurt you, okay Sammy?"

Sam nodded, looking up at his brother with tearful eyes, "Okay, Dean. I trust you."

Both boys looked up when they heard the door open, seeing their father standing there and from the way he was leaning on the door frame, Dean could only assume that he was already on his second bottle of alcohol. "What are you doing?" John's voice was slurred as he spoke.

"I was just in here with Sam. I had to make sure he's okay." Dean replied, knowing better than to lie to his father.

John's eyes scanned over Sam and Dean, "Why is he upset?" He asked, noticing Sam's pale complexion and tear stained cheeks.

Dean bit his lip, "The hunt took its toll on him."

John narrowed his eyes at Dean, "He will to get used to it. There are scarier things than shapeshifters."

"But Sam doesn't want to hunt, dad." Dean argued, instantly regretting it after he caught his father's hard glare.

"I'm not giving either of you a choice here. Monsters will come after us, and if we're going to find the thing that killed Mary then you boys have to be ready." John replied firmly, and that was the point when Dean came to the harsh conclusion that no matter what he did, or what he said, he couldn't change his father's view on Sam hunting, especially not when he's drunk.

"But dad, I want to go to school like normal kids do. I don't want to fight monsters. Not if I can't save people." Sam argued, however despite his newly found confidence, he remained close to his brother's side, still not liking it when John is drunk.

"Hunting and killing monsters does save people, boy." John glared at Sam, annoyed at him for arguing.

"It doesn't save everyone." Sam replied quietly, diverting his eyes away from John, not wanting to see the anger grow on his face.

"This is about Phil's parents, isn't it?" John asked, but all Sam did was nod. "You're gonna have to come to terms with the fact that you can't save everyone. People will die, especially if you're not careful."

When John left the room, Sam turned his attention to the floor, thinking about when his father said. John's words were like a blow to Sam's chest, because he had wanted so desperately to save everyone, as it made him feel good inside.

Dean picked up on how upset Sam was and hugged him tightly, "We do save most people, Sammy. Hunters make this world a better place." Dean assured him, gently rubbing his back. When Sam didn't reply, Dean reached over to his bag, pulling out a brown teddy bear and rubbing its fur gently against Sam's face; despite being forced to grow up a lot these past few weeks, Dean still considered Sam as his innocent little brother, who was still a child.

Dean managed a smile when he saw a small smile form on his brother's face, as he relaxed underneath the teddy bear's touch. "That's it, Sammy. See? There's nothing to worry about, because I'm here. Leave it to your big brother to fight off the monsters." Dean whispered softly, pressing his lips to Sam's forehead and kissing him gently, watching his brother as he fell asleep in his arms.

A couple of hours past and Dean too ended up falling asleep, feeling a hint of safety when he was cuddled up to Sam.

Dean rubbed his eyes as he woke up, looking down at Sam who was still fast asleep. He moved his brother's curls out of his face, before hearing a familiar gruff voice shout, "Sam! Dean!" from downstairs.

"Sammy." Dean whispered, nudging his brother's arm gently, "Hey, Sammy, wake up." He continued until Sam let out a tired groan, turning onto his side so that his arm was around Dean. "I think they want us downstairs." Dean informed him, chuckling quietly to himself at Sam's tiredness. "Come on, sleepyhead." He teased.

Sam slowly sat up, "I was comfy."

Dean smiled, "I could tell, but Bobby just called us."

"We should probably go then." Sam replied, stretching his arms in the air as he stood up.

"Race you." Dean grinned competitively, 

Both boys then leaped off the bed and sprinted downstairs, seeing Bobby standing in the kitchen with three unfamiliar people. There was a man and a woman, with a little boy, who looked a few years older than Phil. 

"Sam, Dean. This is Mr and Mrs Barker and their son Daniel. They're family friends, and they've agreed to adopt Phil." Bobby explained, and Dean let out a sigh of relief, glad that Phil has a place to go where his life won't be put on the line 24/7. 

"I'll go and get Phil." Sam suggested, before rushing upstairs, bursting into Phil's bedroom and seeing him sat on the bed, staring blankly at the wall. "Phil?" Sam said to get his attention, as he walked over to his friend, gently placing his hand on his shoulder. 

Phil looked up slowly, revealing his bright red eyes and tear stained cheeks. Sam felt bad for his friend and sat down next to him, pulling him into a hug. "There are some nice people downstairs waiting to meet you." Sam explained, 

"But I want my mom..." Phil murmured sadly, 

"I know, but these people are nice and they will take good care of you." Sam reassured him, gently rubbing Phil's back to calm him down. 

Phil nodded and sniffled as he pulled away from the hug, "Okay." He replied quietly, and Sam was glad that he was willing to meet Mr and Mrs Barker. 

Sam kept his arm across Phil's shoulders as both boys made their way downstairs and into the living room. Phil hid behind Sam when he saw three unfamiliar faces in the room, however he couldn't help but think that the little boy looked nice. 

"It's okay, Phil. There's no need to be scared; they're nice." Sam reassured him once more, and Phil slowly poked his head out from behind the younger Winchester. 

The second Dan saw Phil, he jumped up and ran over to him, holding his arm out to shake his hand, "Hi. I'm Dan." He greeted him politely, and instantly Phil felt a certain amount of comfortableness around this boy. 

Phil hesitated for a few seconds before shaking Dan's hand, "I'm Phil." He said shyly, avoiding eye contact with the boy. 

"So, I guess you're now my little brother?" Dan said, smiling widely at Phil; neither of them had had siblings before, therefore this was something they'd always dreamed of. 

Phil nodded, "Yes." He replied quietly, letting out a slight giggle when Dan pulled him into a hug. 

The boys spent a good half an hour getting to know each other. Phil found out that Dan's favorite animal was a dinosaur, as his was a lion; he liked to play video games and agreed to let Phil play with him at some point; and much like Phil, he was a giant nerd. Both boys already had a lot in common and that's what told Phil that he would be more than happy living with Dan. 

It was beginning to get dark outside, as the sun had almost set behind the trees in the distance. Dan and Phil had spent the rest of the afternoon playing Monopoly with Sam and Dean. Dean wasn't very happy when he had landed in jail three times in a row, making both Dan and Phil overtake him. Sam was in the lead, but secretly he let Phil win, because he wanted to make his friend happy, after the traumatising events that happened this morning. 

"We'd best be off." Dan's mother announced, as she put her jacket on. 

All four boys stood up, and Phil gave Sam and Dean a grateful look, before hugging them in turn. "Thank you, for everything. I don't know how I'm going to repay you." Phil said, tears forming in his eyes as he looked at the Winchesters. 

Dean gave Phil an affectionate pat on the shoulder, "You don't have to; helping people is what we do."

The Winchesters followed Dan, Phil and Dan's parents outside, noticing that Phil's parents had once again started talking to Bobby; it seemed like they were never going to stop talking. 

"Will I see you again?" Phil asked, not wanting to lose contact with his new friends. 

"Our uncle Bobby has your parent's phone number, so you're welcome to call us, or we can call you when we're here. Sometimes we're travelling with our dad." Dean explained, before giving Phil one final hug. 

"I'll talk to you soon. Thank you again." Phil said, as he pulled Sam into a hug too. 

"We'll miss you, but we'll talk to you soon." Sam replied, giving Phil an affectionate pat on the back as he pulled away from the hug. 

Sam and Dean stood on the doorstep, waving goodbye to Phil as he got into the car with Dan and his parents. 

"Bye!" Phil shouted out of the window as he waved back at the brothers.

Dean waited until Dan's parent's car had gone out of sight before putting his arm across his brother's shoulders and walking back into the house. "It's a shame." Dean spoke up, 

"What is?" Sam asked, 

"Phil having to grow up without any parents." 

"He does have parents. He has Dan's parents and now he has a big brother too. He'll be fine." Sam reassured him, trying to look on the positive side of the situation rather than dwelling on what they had lost; just like Dean had told him to. 

The corner of Dean's mouth curved up into a smile and he kissed the top of his brother's head, as he gave him a hug, Sam's curls tickling his nose. "Always the smart one, Sammy." Dean still felt terrible about this, because he was convinced that it was all his fault; however, he wanted Sam to believe that he was fine and was handling it well, so he put on a strong mask and tried to act like how his father wanted him to; brave. 

Bobby closed the front door, locking it and putting a line of salt at the edge of it, to prevent anything from getting in. He then walked over to the Winchester boys, who pulled away from a hug when they saw their fatherly figure. "You idjits should've called me this morning, but I'm not going to lecture you on that. I'm proud of you boys, especially you, Dean. You handled everything so well and I bet your daddy is proud too." Bobby said, which brought a smile to both of the boy's faces. 

"Thanks uncle Bobby." Sam smiled, giving Bobby a tight hug. He wasn't used to getting compliments off people other than Dean, so hearing Bobby say that they'd done well, was like music to Sam's ears. 

"Thanks, but I don't think dad's that proud of me." Dean murmured sadly, diverting his eyes to the floor as he thought about what their father had said earlier. 

He looked up when he felt Bobby's hand touch his shoulder, "Well I am, and I'm sure Sam is too. Your dad will come round, he's just intoxicated on the couch right now." Bobby replied, and Dean managed a weak smile and nodded. 

Having his uncle's approval meant everything to Dean -who was convinced that he wasn't good enough- and that's what made him want to keep trying; after all, he had to be there for Sam. The Winchester's spent the remainder of the evening playing with Rumsfeld and before they knew it it was time for bed. 

 

****** ****** ******

Both Sam and Dean were in bed, but Dean wasn't planning on sleeping. Sam had fallen asleep first, but after a couple of hours, he was awoken by a nightmare. Dean could easily understand why; this job was scary, especially to a child as young as Sam, so he didn't hesitate for a second before asking Sam if he wanted to sleep with him tonight. Dean could use the comfort too. As Sam cuddled down on Dean's chest, Dean stared out the window at the starry night sky. The stars were twinkling peacefully, and they never failed to bring a small smile to Dean's face as he watched them. They reminded Dean that, despite all the hatred and conflict in the world, that there was some peace too, and his peace was right here, with his family; with Sam.


	20. Two Years Later

A lot had changed over the past two years. Dean now goes on regular hunts with his father, while Sam either stayed in a dingy motel room or at Bobby's. Sam was more experienced with hunting now; he knew how to kill a lot of paranormal creatures and could now shoot a target and get a bullseye from a long distance. However, their father still wouldn’t let Sam go hunting with them, which Sam couldn’t feel more relieved about. Despite not letting his youngest son hunt, John still expected Sam to train when he was at Bobby’s, but Bobby often let him through a ball around with Rumsfeld, because Sam was still a child so he didn’t believe in making in train day in day out. 

An eleven year old Sam sprinted down the stairs from his bedroom at Bobby’s, when he heard the splutters of the Impala’s engine outside, indicating that his brother had returned from a hunt. Sam hadn’t seen his brother for a week, because he’d been hunting a werewolf with their father. Sam always worried about Dean and looked forward to it when Dean would call from a phonebox, just to talk to him. Bobby often helped to take Sam’s mind off things, however, during the times when Sam was completely alone in a motel room, he wouldn’t stop thinking about Dean; he couldn’t bare the thought of anything happening to his big brother. 

“Dean!” Sam cheered, when he saw a familiar green-eyed boy step out of the car. 

“Hey Sammy!” Dean smiled, wrapping his arms around his brother as he found himself being pulled into a hug. 

Sam clutched the back of his brother’s denim jacket, closing his eyes as he breathed in the familiar scent of pie and the smell of the Impala. “I missed you.” Sam confessed, which never failed to bring a small smile to Dean’s face. No matter how bad the hunt had gone, Sam never failed to make Dean smile. 

“I missed you too, Sammy, but I’m home now.” Dean assured him, resting his head on his brother’s shoulder as he held him close. 

Sam smiled as he pulled away from the hug, looking up at Dean as Dean ruffled his hair, which had gotten thicker and less curly over the past two years. “Let’s go inside.” Dean suggested.

“Actually, I was planning on leaving straight away.” John spoke up, much to Dean’s disappointment. Due to hunting a lot more now, he hardly got to spend much time with Bobby. 

“Really? Why don’t you stay longer? I’ve just made dinner and there’s enough for everyone.” Bobby suggested, picking up on Dean’s disappointment and subtly trying to make their father stay longer, so Dean could spend some more time here. 

“Okay. But we’re leaving straight after dinner.” John grumbled, before stomping into the house, leaving the bags in the Impala, which suggested that they wouldn’t be staying for very long. 

Dinner only took another half an hour to get ready and by the time it was, Dean’s stomach was rumbling; he was starving, because all he’d had to eat was a bacon sandwich at a diner this morning. 

Sam sat down next to his brother and opposite Bobby and their father. He helped himself to some side salad, putting it next to the cheeseburger that was on his plate. “Do you want some salad?” He asked Dean, noticing that he’d already taken a bite out of his burger. 

“No, thanks. You just enjoy the rabbit food, Sammy.” Dean teased, before taking a handful of fries from another bowl. 

Sam playfully punched the top of Dean’s arm, before starting to eat his burger. Sam had become more fussy when it came to what he eats, because, unlike his brother who didn’t care about eating a lot of junk food, Sam preferred to eat healthy. 

“So how did the hunt go?” Bobby asked, 

“It would’ve gotten done a lot quicker if Dean hadn’t have taken so long at the store, when I asked him to get some rock salt.” John replied, and Dean hung his head, feeling bad for taking so long, even though the reason for him being so long was because of Sam. Their father had either forgotten or didn’t seem to care that Christmas was coming up, so Dean had taken it upon himself to buy a present for Sam. He always tried to make Christmas special for his brother, even though Sam no longer believed in Santa. There had been a few occasions now where their father didn’t turn up, and Dean had to go out Christmas Eve night to ‘buy’ a present for him with what little money he had. He would make sure to get two; one from him, and one from his dad. Dean didn’t care if he didn’t get anything in return. 

“Did you catch the werewolf?” Bobby asked, 

“Yes. It’s dead now.” John said simply, before impatiently turning to Sam who was the only one still eating, “Are you finished?” 

“No, I’m still hungry.” Sam spoke up. Over the past year, Sam had grown in confidence and often stood up for himself against their father, however he often regretted it afterwards. 

“Well hurry up, because I want to leave and get to the motel before it gets dark.” John replied, and Sam started to eat faster, because he still didn’t like it when their father was angry. 

It didn’t take long for Sam to finish off his burger and salad, so the Winchester’s were soon ready to go. Sam packed his bag, making sure he hadn’t forgotten anything; he packed his weapons, his toiletries, a spare change of clothing and his teddy bear -which he had to keep out of his father’s sight, because despite only being eleven, their father thought that Sam was too old to have it. 

“Have you got everything?” Dean asked, and Sam looked around the room one final time before joining his brother on the landing. 

“Yes. Do we have to go now though? I want to show you the new trick I taught Rumsfeld.” Sam asked, keeping his voice down because he didn’t want their father to find out that he’d been teaching Rumsfeld tricks rather than doing hunting training. 

Dean wanted to see what Sam had taught Rumsfeld, but John would more than likely get mad if they were here for any longer. “Sorry, Sam, but dad wants to go now.” He said, ruffling his brother’s hair when he saw the disappointed expression on his face, “But you can show me next time we come here.” 

Sam managed a small smile, “Sure Dean.” He replied quietly, before walking downstairs, clutching the strap of his dark grey backpack in his hand. Regardless of Dean’s reassurance, Sam was still disappointed that their father wanted to leave so quickly, because this was the place where Sam could be a kid; their dad always treated them like adults. 

Both brothers gave Bobby a hug in turn, “Thanks Bobby.” Dean said, after pulling away from the hug, unsure exactly when they’ll next be here, but he hoped it would be soon. 

“I’ll see you boys soon. Look after each other.” Bobby waved goodbye as he watched Sam and Dean get into the Impala; Dean sitting in the front, Sam in the back and their dad driving. 

Sam waved goodbye to Bobby until he could see him no more. As John was driving Sam rested his arm on the window sill, watching the scenery go by. He sighed deeply, thinking about how much fun he’d had with Bobby the past couple of weeks. Not only had he helped him with his training, but he also played baseball with him, took him to the local park and watched movies at night. It was perfect. It was normal, and Sam had decided that he would choose normality over hunting any day. 

After a few hours, John pulled up at a gas station, “I’m going to get gas and some money. You boys stay in the car.” John said, before getting out of the car and filling the gas tank up, before walking into the building near the gas pumps. 

The gas station was unusually busy for a place in the middle of nowhere at midnight, but Sam wasn’t bothered about that right now because he soon noticed something covered by a brown blanket, on the floor under the front passenger seat. 

He undid his seatbelt and reached forward, picking up a brown, wooden box with some strange symbols engraved on the sides and the lid. “Dean, what’s this?” He asked, feeling curious about what’s inside. 

Dean turned around, and the second he saw Sam’s hand reaching for the black buckle on the box, Dean reached over the seat and snatched the box from his brother. “Don’t open that!” He shouted, more concerned about Sam’s well being than angry with him for touching the box. 

Sam flinched when Dean shouted at him, diverting his eyes away from him and not saying anything; he didn’t like it when his brother was mad at him. “I’m sorry.” He muttered, and Dean felt bad when he saw Sam give him a sad puppy dog eye look.

“It’s okay, Sammy. I’m not mad. It’s just, I don’t want you to get hurt.” Dean explained, 

Sam was relieved to hear that his brother wasn’t mad at him, but his curiosity about what’s in the box didn’t fade. “What’s in there?” He asked.

A couple of years ago, Dean would’ve done whatever he could to keep Sam’s knowledge of the supernatural to a minimum, but now that their father was determined to force him into the hunting life, Dean decided that he would no longer keep things from Sam, unless it was absolutely necessary. “A cursed object.” Dean replied, and Sam’s curiosity only grew, “The sigils on this box are designed to keep the evil mojo in. You have to keep it sealed otherwise the whatever curse is inside will do something to you. Dad said he’s going to get rid of it before it can hurt someone else.” Dean explained, glad when Sam didn’t question it further, because he still wanted to protect his brother from all of this. 

Neither of the boys noticed their father standing at the door, until they heard the door open. John got into the car and glared at Dean when he saw the curse box in his hands. “What did I tell you about touching that? Are you stupid, boy? Put it back!” John shouted and Sam cowered into his seat, both scared of their father and feeling bad because it was his fault for feeling curious about it in the first place. 

“I was just explaining the sigils to Sam.” Dean defended, but when he caught his father’s hard glare, Dean quickly put the curse box back under his seat and covered it up with the blanket. 

The rest of the journey was quiet. Their father didn’t have his usual rock music blasting through the speakers, Sam had fallen asleep and Dean was staring out of the window. It was too cloudy to see the stars, so Dean just sat there, thinking about how he would make Christmas special for Sam. If their father didn’t turn up then Dean would need a plan of action to make the day special for his brother. Dean wanted to so desperately spend Christmas as a family; with Sam, Bobby and their father, but the likelihood of that happening was very slim, because without a doubt they would spend Christmas in a stuffy motel room, with a small tree that their dad had bought cheaply and decorations that Dean had either used the remainder of his money to pay for or stole from a liquor store. He knew that stealing was illegal, but Dean couldn’t let his brother down; as he was still a kid and children their age spend Christmas with their families, eating a roast turkey dinner and receiving loads of Christmas presents. Dean wanted to make it as normal for Sam as he could, despite their situation. 

They arrived at the motel in the early hours of the morning. Dean noticed Christmas reefs on every door, and it was so cold that the cars surrounding them were covered in a thick layer of frost. While their dad had gone to sign them in, Dean turned around, leaning over the back of the seat and nudging his brother’s knee to wake him up, “Hey, Sammy.” Dean whispered, 

Sam groaned, rubbing his eyes as he woke up, taking a few seconds to get his bearings, soon realising that he was in the Impala, in a motel carpark. 

“Come on Samsquatch, we’re at the motel now.” Dean said, before getting out of the car. He grabbed his bag from the trunk, handing Sam his, before waiting for their dad. 

“What are we doing for Christmas this year?” Sam asked, which Dean wasn’t expecting because Sam never had that much faith in them doing something special for Christmas after their father had let them down multiple times by not turning up. 

“I don’t know, Sammy. But we’ll do something and that’s a promise.” Dean assured his brother, giving him an affectionate pat on the back, when he saw his father return. 

“Room 46.” John announced, before moving the curse box into the trunk and locking the car. To prevent any demons or other creatures from getting inside, John had put sigils and a large devil’s trap on the trunk, therefore that would be the safest place to store the cursebox for now; he was planning on leaving around lunchtime to put the box in a place where it wouldn’t hurt anybody else, a place that not even his sons knew about. 


	21. The Perfect Gift

John stayed until later the next morning and left around eleven O'Clock. He went through his usual routine with Dean, telling him to keep the door locked and put a line of salt at every window; however the most important thing he had to do was look after Sam. Despite his brother being older, Dean still considered it as his responsibility to look after him.

It had been a week since John left. He had told Dean that he would only be gone for a few days, but had ended up calling from the road, saying he'd stumbled upon another case, and despite him saying that he would be back before Christmas, Dean wasn't holding onto any hope. Their dad always said that, yet often ended up letting them down.

It was Christmas Eve morning and, like he expected, their father was yet to return. Dean sat up in bed, noticing that it was only six in the morning. He sighed under his breath, before looking over at his brother, who was sleeping peacefully with his teddy bear in his arms.

Dean pushed his blanket aside before climbing out of bed. He opened the curtains, frowning when the Impala wasn't anywhere in sight. He glanced over at Sam for a moment. Nobody knew how much he wished for Sam to have a normal life, but he knew that if their dad had his way then his chances of that would be very slim. He just hoped that their father wouldn't let them down this year.

After putting a fresh line of salt at the window sill, which the bitterly cold wind had blown off overnight, Dean went into the bathroom to get changed. He put on a black t-shirt, this time putting on a hoodie instead of his usual flannel. He then put on the pair of ripped jeans, that he'd worn the past two days -he didn't have any clean ones- and brushed his teeth. After he was finished, he wiped away the remaining toothpaste from his mouth, and stood in front of the mirror. He stared at himself for a moment, trying to think of things he could do to make this Christmas special for his brother. He picked up his comb and combed his hair, having to use water to flatten the bits that were sticking up. Soon, Dean was ready and left the bathroom to prepare Sam's breakfast. They had had the rest of the beans for dinner last night, so Dean decided to use the cheese in the fridge to make some grilled cheese. He turned the grill on, by now used to doing things independently, and sprinkled some cheese onto three slices of bread -two for Sam and one for him- before putting them on a wire tray and sliding it under the grill.

As the grilled cheese was cooking, Dean's eyes wandered over to a small stack of leaflets, in a pile on the counter; he had forgotten that he'd picked them up earlier in the week and was supposed to look through them, but didn't end up doing so because he'd gotten distracted by looking after Sam. Not long after their father left, Sam had come down with a cold, leaving Dean to look after him on his own. He had even called their father to ask for help, but John had just told Dean that he was busy and it was his job to look after Sam. Dean used the little money they had to buy Sam a new blanket to keep him warm, and some medicine to help with his cough. Of course, that meant Dean had to skip some meals, because he hadn't brought enough food to last the week for the two of them. Plus, he had to save some money to buy Sam's present. Being the nerd that he is, Sam enjoyed reading books, especially books involving fantasy, so Dean decided that he would go out and buy the third Harry Potter book for his brother; Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Sam had already got the first two books in the series and he never stopped talking about them after he'd read them, so Dean thought it would be the perfect gift.

Dean picked up one of the leaflets, noticing that it was a map of the town. There was a small park where there was supposed to be a Christmas fair and market, and next to it there was an ice rink. Dean glanced over at Sam before looking back at the leaflet, wondering if his brother will want to go there later; however, he wasn't going to ask him because he wanted to keep it as a surprise.

Dean stuffed the leaflet into the pocket of his jeans when he heard Sam yawn. "Morning sleepyhead. Are you gonna sleep all day?" He teased, even though it was still quite early in the morning.

"No." Sam rubbed his eyes sleepily as he sat up in bed, his eyes searching for their father, because he promised he would be back today, "Is dad not here?" Sam asked, feeling disappointed when his brother replied,

"Not yet, Sammy. But he will be later." Dean reassured him, not wanting to disappoint Sam more by telling him that didn't think their father was going to make it back for Christmas.

Sam gave his brother a weak smile, "I'm going to get dressed." He muttered, before dragging his feet along the floor and into the bathroom.

Dean sighed softly, as he watched his brother disappear into the bathroom. Sam had always wanted to spend Christmas as a family, but had rarely gotten the chance. On of the few times they did, their father spent the night drunk and it had turned into more of a disaster when John had forgotten to buy a turkey. Dean had tried to do what he could to make that day special, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't. Sam was upset and Dean only blamed himself for it. Of course, it wasn't actually his fault because there was nothing he could've done at the time, but he still wished he would've tried harder.

By the time Sam came out of the bathroom, breakfast was on the table and Dean had already gotten through half of his slice of grilled cheese. "Come on, Sammy, otherwise I'll eat yours." Dean threatened jokingly when he saw Sam staring down at his plate,

"I'm not hungry." Sam muttered,

Dean placed his hand on his brother's shoulder, "How about we go somewhere later? Just you and me." He suggested, trying to cheer his brother up,

Sam slowly looked up at Dean, revealing his sad expression, "Where?"

"It's a surprise." Dean smiled, "But you can't go until you've eaten at least one slice of grilled cheese." He added, glad when Sam finally picked up a slice and started eating it.

Dean put his plate in the sink and walked over to the bed, starting to get his stuff ready while he was waiting for Sam to finish eating. Despite them not going anywhere dangerous, Dean still attached his salt gun to the back of his belt and put a flask of holy water into the inside pocket of his jacket. He then grabbed his wallet from the bedside table and put it into his pocket. At that moment, Dean remembered that he still needed to go out to buy Sam's Christmas present, and he couldn't do that while Sam was with him, because going into a bookstore and telling Sam to wait outside would make it too obvious. So, Dean decided he would go now and take Sam to the market later.

"I'm going out, I'll be back soon." Dean announced, feeling a pang in his chest when he saw his brother's sad expression,

"But you said we would be going out together." Sam frowned,

Dean ran his hand down his face, "We are, but later." He replied, giving his brother a pat on the shoulder, "Don't forget to salt the windows!" He shouted as he left the motel.

Sam sighed as he looked out of the window, watching his brother disappear around the corner of the motel. It had always been their father who delayed things, never Dean, but now that Dean was doing it too, it made Sam wonder if he was going to celebrate Christmas at all this year. He threw himself onto the couch, turning on the TV, which only made him feel worse when a Christmas film came on TV. Nobody, not even Dean, knew how much Sam wanted a normal family, one he could spend Christmas with without the worry of being let down. He glanced out of the window, seeing a mother and father walking down the street hand in hand with their son, who was grinning from ear to ear as small white flakes danced down from the sky. Unlike Dean, Sam had never known his mother and there were times like these where he wished she was still alive, because maybe if she was, then neither of them would've grown up in the hunting life.

Sam soon got distracted from his depressing thoughts when the amount of snow flakes increased and started to cover the pavement in a thin layer of snow. Sam so desperately wanted to go out and play, but he knew that his brother expected him to stay inside and he didn't want to make Dean mad with him, so he stayed on the couch, staring out of the window and watching the fluffy white flakes fall from the sky.

********** ************ ************

There was a wide selection of books in the bookshop, so Dean wasn't sure where to look. The smart option was to go straight to the fantasy section, but that didn't narrow it down very much. He couldn't remember the author's name, which wasn't helpful at all, as the fantasy section was two a whole aisle long. He sighed, running his hand through his hair as he searched for the title 'Harry Potter', but after fifteen minutes he didn't find anything. "Great." He murmured, beginning to get frustrated when a girl, who was around his age, walked over to him.

"Are you okay?" she asked, holding back a smile,

Dean looked at her and something about her crystal blue eyes and rosy cheeked complexion calmed him, "Y-yes." He stammered, scratching the back of his neck as he stared at the girl for longer than necessary. She was very pretty; the way her wavy, blonde hair sat just below her shoulders, the kind way she was staring at him. She seemed perfect to the hunter, but Dean knew that in this life, you can't afford attachments, so he tried his best not to get too attracted to the girl.

"Are you just going to stare at me or...?" The girl teased, and Dean's cheeks suddenly grew a little warmer.

Dammit Dean, keep it together, she's only a girl, he thought to himself. "No, I was um..looking for a book for my brother. It's called Harry Potter. It's a Christmas present." He explained quickly, worried that the girl might think he was some kind of loser for looking at the fantasy section.

The girl giggled, "Well you won't find it by staring at me." She teased,

"Right. I know." Dean replied, managing to pull himself together and put on a confident front.

"Do you need help?" She asked, but Dean being Dean decided to look 'cool' by saying he could find it on his own,

"No thanks."

The girl raised an eyebrow, "Really? Because you just spent the past fifteen minutes looking through the section for toddler books."

Dean looked at the books on the shelf he was standing next to, feeling stupid when he noticed that he had in fact been looking in the section for toddler's fantasy books. "I knew that." He brushed off,

The girl giggled, not falling for Dean's act whatsoever, "Of course you did." She teased, before taking Dean's hand and leading him over to the correct place, "Here you go, Potter boy." She grinned,

Dean blushed a little, "It isn't for me." He defended, before picking up the correct book and turning to the girl, "Thank you. The name's Dean, by the way." Dean smiled flirtatiously,

"Casey." The girl smiled back, glancing down at her hand which Dean was still holding, "You can let go of my hand, you know?" She teased, giggling when Dean got flustered,

"Um..Sorry." He stammered,

"I wasn't complaining." The girl replied shyly, "My parents are out of town. They aren't back until tonight so I was wondering if you maybe wanted to go to the Christmas market with me later?" The girl asked, and despite wanting to say yes, Dean had already made plans to go there with Sam.

"I'm sorry, I can't. I've already got plans tonight with my brother." Dean replied, feeling bad for letting the girl down, but Sam always came first.

"You could always ditch your brother and come with me." The girl fluttered her eyelids at Dean, who bit his lip, unable to resist so without thinking it through Dean said, "Sure. I'll meet you there at three."

"Great!" The girl grinned, giving Dean a kiss on the cheek before skipping away. Dean stood there, a blank expression on his face when he realised what he'd just done. Sam was without a doubt looking forward to going somewhere with him, and now Dean had let him down, just like their father had done on many occasions. Dean was the person who Sam depended on the most, and now he could've destroyed that trust forever.

He paid for Sam's Christmas present, putting it in a brown paper bag before heading outside. When he got outside, there was already an inch of snow on the ground. He zipped up his jacket and rushed back to the motel, which thankfully was about a ten minute walk away.

By the time he reached the motel, Dean's hands and face felt numb. He fumbled around with the keys before unlocking the door and walking inside. "I'm back, Sammy!" He called, when he saw Sam sitting on the couch, staring out of the window at the snow, that was still falling to the ground.

"Can we go out now?" Sam asked excitedly, the second he heard his brother return. He had cheered up a lot since Dean left, because seeing the snow had brought back the childish excitement he always had when he saw the fluffy, white substance.

Dean slid Sam's present under his bed, putting his dirty washing over the top of it to hide it. He didn't want to upset Sam by telling him that he'd made plans with someone else, so Dean Dean decided to take a risk and go to the carnival with Sam, even though he knew that Casey was going to be there. "Yes. Now hurry up Sasquatch." Dean smiled, picking up Sam's Ravenclaw scarf and throwing it at him.

Sam was too slow and the scarf hit him directly in the face, "Dean!" He exclaimed in shock, before wrapping the scarf around his neck, making sure it was displaying the Ravenclaw symbol, and slipping on his jacket.

He then ran outside as soon as Dean opened the door, like an excited puppy who has just been let outside. Sam cheered and threw his arm in the air, letting out a childish giggle when the snowflakes fell on his face. "Dean, look!" He said, before breathing and giggling again when almost transparent mist emerges from his mouth.

"You're such a dork." Dean chuckled, trying to focus on Sam rather than on the fact that it was almost three O'clock. "Come on, Sammy. We don't want to be late."

"Where are we going?" Sam asked, running to catch up with Dean.

"You'll see." Dean replied, hoping that his brother would like the surprise and nothing would spoil it.

The carnival was only a ten minute walk from their motel. The park it was being held in was large, with a river running past a row of trees and a small children's playground to the left of it. Sam's eyes widened and he stared at the carnival in awe, as he stood next to his brother on top of a hill that was overlooking everything. In front of them there was a wide selection of different stalls dotted around; fairground rides, including a large ferris wheel to the right of them; and an ice skating rink where some children had started snowball fights.

Sam grinned from ear to ear, "This is amazing! Thanks Dean!" He threw himself at his brother, wrapping his arms around his waist and hugging him tightly.

Dean gave Sam a quick hug before pulling away, "I knew you'd like it." He smiled, "Race you down the hill. Don't fall." He joked, before sprinting away.

Sam ran after him, but the snow that had formed on the hill suddenly sent him flying into Dean, and both boys landed in a heap at the bottom of the hill.

Dean laughed and got to his feet, finding the situation funny. "Are you okay, Sammy?" He asked, holding his hand out to help Sam up.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Sam replied, before taking his brother's hand and standing up, "Thanks." Sam brushed the snow off his trousers, feeling too excited about the Christmas market to worry about the bruise that had formed on his knee from when he fell over. 

"Let's go!" Sam cheered, however this time he decided it would be safer to walk to the market instead of run, because he didn't want to fall over. The closer he got to the stores, the stronger the smell old mulled wine and other Christmas spices became. Each stall was decorated with reefs and holly which was covered in a thin layer of snow. There were stalls selling toys, food and gifts for all members of the family. 

Sam stopped walking when something caught his eye. There was a red hut with a line of children outside, and next to it there was a pen containing two reindeer. "Dean, look!" He grinned, tugging on the sleeve of his brother's coat, "Reindeer!" 

Dean smiled, mostly at Sam's excitement, "Yes Sammy, why don't you go over to them?" He suggested, when he caught sight of a familiar face; it was the girl from the bookshop. Dean lowered his head as he followed Sam over to the reindeer. He stood beside his brother, in hope that the girl wouldn't see him, but little did he know that she was already on her way over to him. 

The girl touched Dean's shoulder, giving him no choice but to turn around and look at her, "Dean!" She smiled, giving him a kiss on the cheek which made Dean's face go red.

"Hi Casey." He greeted her quietly, not feeling nervous but worried about Sam's reaction should he find out that Dean has made plans with somebody else. 

"Do you want to join me for some eggnog? They're selling it over there." Casey suggested, pointing over to a stall near the Ferris wheel. 

Dean bit his lip; however before he could answer, Sam turned around, giving Dean a questioning look when he saw an unfamiliar girl standing close to him. "Dean, who's that?" He asked, 

"Is that your brother? I thought we agreed that you would ditch him and go round the market with me?" Casey questioned, and Sam hung his head, worried that Dean was going to leave him and upset that he would even agree to it. 

Dean felt like he had been punched in the stomach after he saw the expression on Sam's face, "Casey, I.." He trailed off, unsure how to get himself out of this situation, 

"Do you want to go off with her?" Sam asked, his voice cracking as he spoke, which showed how upset he was over this. 

"Come on, Dean, you don't want him. He'll just intrude and annoy us, that's what little brothers do." Casey replied, trying to pull Dean with her but Dean wasn't going anywhere. 

"If you don't want me here, then fine. I get it. I'll just..go." Sam shrugged, letting out a deep sigh as he turned around and walked in the opposite direction, ignoring his brother when he shouted his name. Sam walked with his head down, sitting on a bench in a secluded area of the carnival. He let out a choked sob, rubbing his eyes as tears began to fall down his cheeks. After their father had let them down today, Sam was excited about going out with Dean, because it wasn't something they would normally do, therefore this trip was very special to him; he had never thought that Dean would let him down, or choose somebody else over him.


	22. Heights

Seeing his brother walk off on his own hurt, and Dean knew that this was all his fault. If only he hadn't messed up and had told Casey from the beginning that he wasn't able to go to the Christmas market with her, then none of this would've happened. 

"Let's go now he's gone." Casey suggested, but Dean suddenly found some confidence and pulled his arm away from her. 

"No." Dean replied, 

Casey tugged on Dean's sleeve, adamant to get him to follow her. "Come on, you don't need your wimpy brother to tag along with us. He'll just get in the way."

Dean narrowed his eyes into a glare, "Don't talk about him like that." Dean growled; nobody got away with being mean to Sam, even if it was behind his back. 

Casey rolled her eyes, "Seriously? He's a freak. He follows you everywhere. Can't he just stay at home with your parents?" 

That was it. Those words were what made Dean flip. He gave Casey a death glare, pushing her hard into the snow. "I said shut up!" He shouted, "My brother isn't a freak and I'm all he has, so I'd appreciate it if you kept your stupid opinions to yourself." He continued, taking a deep breath to calm himself down. Dean had never lost it to the point where he had pushed somebody over or physically hurt someone, but with their father not turning up for Christmas and now this, it had become too much for the young teenager and Dean had just flipped. It angered him a lot when people were horrible to Sam, and on more than one occasion Sam had to stop him from beating up kids when they bullied him. 

Dean took one last look at the girl, who had an annoyed expression on her face. He gave her another glare, before running off to find Sam. "Sammy!" He shouted, panicking when he couldn't see Sam anywhere in the crowds of people. Dean began to feel sick, getting an irrational but horrible feeling of worry that he's lost Sam forever; their dad would surely kill him and Dean wouldn't forgive himself if that were the case. "Sam!" He continued, running his hand through his hair as he approached a more secluded area of the Christmas market. However, what he saw next broke his heart. Sam was curled up on a bench with his knees to his chest and Dean was just able to make out that he was crying, from the tiny sobs that he could hear. 

Dean ran his hand through his face, feeling terrible for choosing that girl over his brother, even though he had chosen Sam in the end, but that still didn't make it any better in Dean's mind. "Sam?" Dean said quietly, as he slowly approached his brother, sitting down on the bench but keeping a small distance between them. 

Sam sniffled, not looking up from his knees, "W-why aren't you with yo-your gir-girlfriend?" He asked, his voice cracking as he spoke, which only made Dean feel worse. 

"I dumped her." Dean replied simply and bit his lip as he looked at his brother. "Sam, I'm so sorry. I wasn't thinking when I said yes to her. I know I made plans with you and I should've stuck with them, instead being a jerk and going off with someone else." 

Despite the pain that Dean had caused him, Sam couldn't stay mad at his brother forever, as he was a very forgiving person, especially when it came to Dean. Plus it was obvious how guilty Dean was feeling over this, so Sam shuffled closer to Dean and wrapped his arms around his waist, his head rested on his brother's chest. "It's okay, Dean." Sam sniffled, however even though he had forgiven him for it, Sam's trust in Dean had been dented, so Dean knew he would have to work to get that trust back. 

"Thank you, Sammy." Dean whispered, running his finger's through his brother's hair and wiping that remaining tears from Sam's cheeks. Dean didn't say anything else on the matter, because he didn't want to show Sam just how much this was bothering him, so as usual, he covered his feelings with a strong mask. "I'll make it up to you. We can go around the market and do whatever you want to do." He added, eager to do what he could to make it up to Sam. 

Sam looked up at Dean, revealing his tearful eyes and pale, yet tear stained, cheeks. "Really?" He asked, almost hesitant to believe Dean, because he didn't want to be let down again. 

Dean nodded, "Yes." He replied, before letting out a deep sigh, "Sam, I know I've messed up big time, but I'll never let you down again, and that's a promise." 

A small smile found its way onto Sam's face at Dean's words, "Okay, Dean." He pulled away from the hug, wiping the remaining tears from his eyes and standing up. 

Sam gave his brother a smile, wanting him to know that he wasn't going to give him a chance to fix things between them. Dean returned that smile, but Sam could see the guilt in his eyes, which were proof that he was far from okay. 

Both boys made their way back over to the main area of the Christmas market. The smell of different food cooking along with the mauled wine, was making Dean's mouth water, but he couldn't afford much with the little amount of money he had left, because he was saving it for their dinner later. 

"God, I feel like I'm in Heaven!" Dean exclaimed, when he saw a stall which was filled with an array of different pies. There were mince pies, pork pies, meat pies, lamb pies and many other flavors that Dean would love to sink his teeth into.

Whilst Dean was preoccupied by the pies, Sam was at the next stall, looking at plaque. Each plaque was for a different family member and had a meaningful quote written on it. He picked one up, smiling a little when he read the quote, which said, "Who needs superheroes, when you have a big brother." The quote was in the centre of the plaque and above it there was a Batman symbol. He wanted so badly to get it for Dean. Throughout his life Dean had always looked out for him; he had been there when he was sick, stood up for him when kids had bullied him and he had even saved his life a few times; therefore in Sam's eyes he was better than any comic book superhero. He was his hero, his big brother.

It didn't take long for Dean to realise that Sam wasn't following him, and for a moment he felt worried that he'd lost him again, however he soon caught sight of him looking at something on the next stall. "What are you looking at?" He asked, peering over Sam's shoulder. 

"A car." Sam replied sarcastically, 

"Very funny." Dean rolled his eyes, but struggled to hold back a smile. 

Sam sighed, "I want to buy you this, but I don't have any money." Sam frowned, before showing Dean the plaque. There was another one with a blue background and a longer quote written on it in white writing. The quote said, 'He knows when I need him, he makes sure no one's bothering me, he cares what I say and feel, he loves me. For I am proud to call him my big brother, as he is the best in the world.'

Dean read the first plaque and only got a lump in his throat when he read the other one that Sam was looking at. He bit his lip, unsure why Sam would even consider buying these things for him, after what he did no more than half an hour ago. He wasn't the best brother that he or Sam wanted him to be. "How can you want to give me those after what I've done?" Dean asked quietly. 

"Because you're the best big brother I could ask for. You always take care of me, and cheer me up, and protect me." Sam said sweetly, his eyes showing pure affection towards Dean as he looked up at him, which brought a smile to Dean's face. 

"Thanks, Sammy. But you don't have to get me that. Just having you here is enough for me." Dean said truthfully, not caring that Sam couldn't buy him a present. Dean wrapped his arms around his brother's waist, momentarily forgetting that Sam was older now as he tried to pick him up, "Woah, you've got big there, buddy." Dean chuckled, his voice cracking slightly because Sam's kindness had made him feel emotional. 

Sam let out a cute giggle, but glared playfully at Dean, "Yeah, I'm almost as tall as you." He joked, even though that was true. Despite being four years and four months younger than Dean, Sam was almost as tall as him and he would surely have overtook him by the time he was in his late teens. 

"You still have some more to grow." Dean joked back, gently hitting Sam's shoulder, which made him smile. "How about we go on some of the rides?" Dean suggested. 

"Yes please!" Sam exclaimed excitedly; however, much to Dean's horror, Sam ran straight towards the Ferris Wheel. 

Dean followed him, "Sam, I don't think that's a good idea. I mean, it's pretty cold, so it might get too cold at the top." Dean explained, trying to hide the fear that was building up inside him, as the closer they got to the Ferris Wheel the higher it looked. But when he saw the disappointed expression on Sam's face, followed by an irresistible puppy dog eye look, Dean couldn't do anything but agree. 

Dean's stomach did somersaults as they waited in line and he fiddled nervously with the hem of his jacket. 

Sam picked up on Dean's discomfort and asked, "Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine, Sammy." He replied, but no matter how hard he was trying to hide it, fear was present in his voice. 

Sam squinted his eyes in question, "Are you scared of heights?" He asked, 

Dean shifted about nervously on the spot, "What? No!" He tried to hide it, even though it was now clear by the look on his face. 

"Really? If you're scared, we don't have to go on." Sam replied, not believing the failure of a brave act that his brother was putting on. 

"No, don't be stupid. Why would I be scared of this?" He said with forced confidence.

Sam shrugged, "If you say so." 

Once they'd reached the front of the line, Sam was first to get onto the seat. It was an open seat with only a metal bar running across it to keep them held in, which looked horrifying to Dean. Sam signaled to his brother, "Come on, I thought you weren't scared?" He teased, 

Dean bit his lip, "I'm not!" He defended, before running onto the seat, freezing when it rocked from side to side. He ignored Sam's smile as he sat, quickly holding onto the metal bar in front of him, to the point where his knuckles went white. 

Dean took a sharp intake of breath when the ride started, subtly shuffling away from the edge of the seat. The higher they got, the smaller everything looked to Dean; the people at the Christmas market looked like ants compared to him. 

Sam, however, was enjoying the ride. Being able to see all of the rooftops and trees around them covered in snow, was magical for Sam. But it didn't take him long to pick up on Dean's fear, when he noticed how close his brother was now sitting to him, "Seriously? They wouldn't have let us on this ride if it wasn't safe." He assured him, but despite this he still had a small smirk on his face. 

"Sam, this thing could freakin' fall to the ground or something, so don't tell me it's safe!" He shouted, giving up on trying to hide his fear and instead going into full on panic mode. His palms were sweaty, despite the cold air, his breathing was uneven and he was gripping the metal bar as if his life depended on it. 

Sam stopped smirking, because he knew it wouldn't be right to tease his brother at this moment in time, as Dean had always comforted him when he was scared so it was Sam's turn. Sam placed an arm on Dean's shoulder, "It's okay, Dean. Look at the view ahead of us, but don't look down. It's nice up here." Sam reassured him softly as he rubbed Dean's shoulder to calm him down. 

"It's anything but nice, it's a death trap!" He only panicked more, reluctant to open his eyes until the ride had finished, and once it had Dean was straight off it. He leaned on a banister, his legs shaking as he tried to calm himself down. "We're never doing that again." He said firmly, when he saw Sam standing over him, with a worried look on his face. 

"Are you okay, Dean?" He asked, "You know it was safe. You weren't gonna get hurt." 

"Whatever." Dean replied simply, running his hand down his face as he once again tried to act brave, even though it was obvious that he had been scared. 

"If you're scared of heights, Dean, then you can tell me. I won't judge you." Sam assured him, but Dean being the stubborn person he is, didn't let his brave act drop that easily. 

"I'm fine, Sam! Besides, who would be scared of something as stupid as heights? There are scarier things out there." He defended, which was an obvious lie, however Sam knew better than to push his brother so he decided to let the subject drop for now. 

After he'd calmed himself down Dean looked at Sam, biting his lip when he saw him staring at the ground. He hadn't meant to snap at him and he felt bad for it. However, he didn't want Sam to find out about his fear of heights, because in his mind -and he was saw his father thought the same thing- it was a stupid fear, especially since he dealt with the supernatural on a regular basis; that was supposed to be way more scarier. After that terrifying experience, Dean didn't want to go on another ride, so he decided to have fun another way. When Sam wasn't looking, he scooped up some snow and rolled it into a snowball. "Hey Sammy!" Dean said to get his brother's attention. He then threw the snowball at him and grinned when it hit him in the cheek. 

Sam yelped as the snowball took him by surprise. "Dean!" He exclaimed, shivering as he wiped the cold snow off of his cheek. 

Dean chuckled, "What?" He said, giving his brother an innocent grin. 

Sam quickly scooped up some snow and made a bigger snowball, "I hate you!" He joked, as he threw it at Dean. 

"I love you too, little brother." He chuckled, before grinning as he threw another snowball at Sam. 

For the next half an hour, both brother's spent their time throwing snowballs at each other and by the end of it the both of them were soaked from head to foot. "I'd say I won that." Dean smiled, running his hand through his hair to shake the snow out of it. 

Sam scoffed, but a smile remained on his face, "Yeah right, I hit you with more snowballs."

"Yeah, but the ones I threw at you were bigger." Dean defended, 

Sam shook his head, "It isn't determined on the size, Dean. I still won." He smiled,

"Yeah, whatever. I let you win." Dean lied, however truthfully he didn't care who won, because it was nice to have some fun and see his brother happy for a change. 

"Of course you did." Sam joked, playfully punching his brother's arm. 

Dean patted Sam's back, chuckling softly, "I did, Samsquatch." He joked. After a few minutes, Dean's stomach let out a loud rumble, that even Sam heard it. 

"Are you hungry?" Sam teased, even though he was beginning to feel the same way, "Can we go back and have something to eat?" He suggested, 

"Great idea, Sammy. And how about we grab some mince pies on the way back? The ones they were selling looked delicious!" Dean replied, his mouth watering at just the thought of those mince pies. 

"Sure." Sam smiled, before following his brother in the direction of the pie stall. Sam knew that if Dean had enough money then he would buy the whole stall, because he really liked pies. They were his favorite food. 

The pie stall was next to the stall that sold all of the plaques that Sam was looking at earlier, including the Batman one. When they walked past it, he glanced over at the stall and saw that the plaque was still there, and much to his luck the price had been reduced. "Hey Dean, how much money will we have left after you buy the pies?" Sam asked. 

Dean counted his money, unsure why Sam wanted to know but he didn't ask, because at the moment he was too enthralled by the pies. "Five dollars." He replied simply, 

"Can I borrow three dollars?" He asked,

"Okay." Dean replied, before handing Sam three dollars in change and turning back to the pie stall. 

Whilst Dean was buying the pies, Sam sneaked off to the stall next door to buy his brother the plaque. Even though Dean had told him that he didn't have to buy it, Sam wanted to give Dean something back for all the times he's looked after him and sacrificed things for him. "Could I have the Batman brother plaque, please?" Sam asked the woman behind the counter. 

"Of course you can." The woman replied kindly, before wrapping the plaque in bubble wrap and sliding it into a brown paper bag.

"Thank you." Sam smiled, before handing the woman the three dollars and taking the bag. He then joined Dean, who had just finished paying for the pies. 

"Ready to go?" Dean asked, and when Sam nodded, both boys began to make their way back to the motel. 

Now that their time at the Christmas market was over, all Sam could think about was Christmas. Aside of the excitement, he was wondering if their father was going to show up this year. "Dad's going to show up before tomorrow, right?" He asked Dean. 

Dean bit his lip, he should've been expecting that question to come sooner or later, and honestly, he didn't know the answer for it. However, he didn't want to let Sam down, so he said, "He'll show up, don't worry, Sammy." and gave his brother a reassuring pat on the back. 

"But he didn't show up for Christmas three years ago and the year after that he was drunk." Sam sighed, looking down at the snowy pavement as he carried on walking. 

"He will this year. And we'll have a Christmas dinner and watch movies like other families do." Dean assured him, despite knowing how disappointed Sam would be if their father let them down by not showing up. 

Sam looked up at his brother, hope glistening in his eyes, "You promise?"

Dean forced a smile and nodded, "I promise." 

It didn't take them long to get back to the motel, and when they did, Dean microwaved the leftover slices of pizza from last night's dinner and put some salad with it, which was for Sam. By the time they had finished eating and cleaning up, Dean noticed that it was already 7pm, and there was no sign of their father. 

Sam was immersed in a book, so Dean decided to use the telephone box outside to call their father. "I'm going to call dad. I'll be back soon, Sammy." Dean informed his brother, so that he wouldn't think he just walked out on him. 

"Okay, Dean." Sam replied. 

After putting his jacket on, Dean walked out to the phone box at the other side of the motel's parking lot. He inserted a dollar and dialed his dad's number, and it wasn't long before he heard a familiar gruff voice on the other end of the phone. "Dad, hey, Sammy and I are wondering if you're going to be home for Christmas?" Dean asked, hoping that their father would say yes for Sam's sake, because it was easy to tell how excited he was about spending Christmas as a family. 

However, Dean's heart suddenly dropped when he heard his father say, "I'm sorry, Dean. This case is harder to solve than I thought. I'm not going to be able to solve it and make it back by morning."

"But dad, you promised Sammy, before you left, that we'd all have Christmas dinner and watch movies together." Dean spoke up, this time not afraid of standing up to their dad. 

"I know I did, but I can't do anything about this, Dean. I'm sorry, but people will get killed if I ignore it." John attempted to explain, 

"I understand, but I guess I'll see you when you get back." Dean sighed, before saying goodbye to his dad and ending the call. He kicked the glass door of the phone box in frustration, running his hand down the front of his face and letting out another deep sigh. "Dammit dad..." He cursed under his breath, a single tear forming in his eye. He knew that this situation was out of his control, but nobody knew how much he wished that he could make Sam happy. He knew his brother would be upset when he found out that their father wasn't coming home, and as much as he wanted to, there was no way that Dean could make a whole Christmas dinner and get everything else ready on his own, with what little money they had left; he was just a kid after all.


	23. Home For Christmas

Right now, Dean had no idea what to do. They had no money left, so it wasn't like they could spend Christmas day somewhere else; Dean didn't even have enough money left to buy food. He shivered, the cold wind hitting him and sending snowflakes into his face, when he stepped out of the phone box. The weather had definitely gotten worse, and Dean could barely see his motel room from where he was standing. There was no way they would be able to go anywhere now. 

Dean closed his eyes, wishing for a miracle to happy, but he knew too well that it wouldn't. Dean didn't believe in miracles or angels for that matter, the only things out there were demons and the things that went bump in the night; if there were angels then a hunter somewhere would've seen one. 

He opened his eyes when he thought he heard a flutter of wings, but when he looked behind him, Dean couldn't see anything; he didn't noticed a man wearing a beige trenchcoat, watching him from afar. He rubbed his chin, about to go back to the motel when he noticed a coin on the floor. Dean looked around, before bending down and picking it up, brushing the snow off it and smiling when he noticed that it was a one dollar coin. That wouldn't be enough to buy food, but Dean had something else in mind, something that he was certain would be Sam happy. 

Dean inserted the coin into the phone box, dialing Bobby's number and feeling relief wash over him when he picked up, "Bobby, hey! It's nice to hear from you. You wouldn't mind doing me a favor, would you?"

"Of course not. What is it, Dean? Is everything okay?" Bobby asked, worried by how panicked Dean's tone was. 

"Not really, no. Dad isn't going to show up for Christmas and I don't want to let Sammy down this year. I can't." Dean explained in a hurry, knowing that he didn't have much time because one dollar only lasted five minutes in this phone box. 

"Do you want me to pick you boys up?" Bobby asked, 

"Bobby, you can't drive in this weather. I can hardly see the motel from where I'm standing, and I don't want to cause you more trouble." Dean replied, despite wanting to go over to Bobby's and make Christmas special for Sam. 

"I don't mind you coming over, Dean. It'll be nice to have some company. I'll pick you boys up first thing in the morning, okay?" Bobby said, much to Dean's relief. 

"Okay, we're at a motel just outside of Sioux Falls. Thank you so much, Bob-" Dean was suddenly cut off and he dropped the phone on the floor, covering his head with his arms when a trail of black smoke smashed through the phone box, sending glass everywhere. 

After a few seconds had passed, Dean removed his arms from his face, looking around, but unable to see the black smoke anywhere. He picked up the phone, that was now just hanging from the cord. "Bobby?" He shouted, sighing when he got the dialing tone. 

Dean's mind suddenly jumped to something; Sam. He was all alone in the motel room, and if that black smoke did belong to a demon, then Sam may not be able to defend himself, even though their father had practically imprinted how to hunt different monsters, in their mind. "Sammy." Dean murmured under his breath in worry, before racing into the motel room and going straight for his flask of holy water. 

Sam had gotten into bed, but he hadn't fallen asleep yet, because he had been waiting for Dean to come back. He quickly sat up, holding the blankets tightly in his hand and his eyes darted frantically around the motel room when he saw the worried look on his brother's face. "Dean, what's going on?" Sam asked. 

Dean walked over to Sam. He didn't want to do this, but he had to make sure that that demon hadn't found its way into Sam. "Sam I need you to get out of bed." Dean requested, 

"Why?" Sam asked sleepily, feeling too comfortable to move. 

"Just do as I say, then you can go to sleep." Dean replied firmly, and Sam knew that he had no choice, so he pushed his warm blankets aside and climbed out of bed. 

"Why do I-" Sam began, getting cut off and flailing his arms when he got holy water thrown over his face, "Dean, what?" Sam asked, wiping the water off his face. Sam wished they could stay this way forever; it was perfect. 

Dean let out a sigh of relief when the holy water didn't cause Sam pain. "Sorry Sammy, I just needed to make sure. I thought I saw a demon out there." Dean explained, deciding it was best not to hide anything from Sam. 

Sam's eyes widened in fear, "A-a demon?" He stuttered.

"It was just black smoke. It could've been anything." Dean replied, before putting his flask down and grabbing a bag of rock salt from under his bed. "Don't worry, I'll put a line of salt at every door and window. If there is a demon out there, then it won't get in here." Dean assured Sam, before going around to every entrance and putting a thick line of salt down like he said he would. 

Once Dean was finished he walked back over to Sam, sliding the bag of rock salt back under his bed and getting out a spare gun and loading it with salt rounds. "Keep that near you and if you see a demon then shoot it. Salt hurts it. And I'll keep a flask of holy water on the bedside table between us." Dean explained, taking control of the situation which was what made Sam feel safe. 

Sam nodded, "Okay.." He replied, before climbing back into bed, pulling the blankets over him and keeping his teddy bear close to his chest. With fear in his eyes, Sam looked around the room, still feeling scared despite Dean's reassurance. 

Dean picked up on this and signaled to Sam to move over, "I'll stay with you tonight." Dean suggested and when Sam moved over, Dean climbed into bed and lay down beside him. One of the main reasons why Dean wanted to sleep with Sam was so that he could watch over him and protect him should anything enter and try to hurt him. 

"Thanks, Dean." Sam replied quietly, before cuddling up to his brother. However, before he fell asleep, he heard a knocking at the door. 

Both of the brother's exchanged worried glances, and Dean signaled to Sam to stay in the bed, before handing him one of the shotguns. "Stay there." He whispered quietly, before picking up his own gun and walking towards the door. It was too dark to see anything out of the window, so Dean couldn't look out to see who it was. He slowly crept towards the door, hesitantly moving his hand towards the door handle. It couldn't be their father, because he had a key to their room. Dean took a deep breath, holding the gun to his chest, his finger resting on the trigger as he quickly opened the door. "Bobby!" He let out a sigh of relief when he saw that it was no other than his uncle at the door. 

"I came as soon as I could. Are you boys alright? I was talking to you on the phone then I had a smash and the call cut out." Bobby asked, and Dean stepped to the side to let Bobby in, closing the door behind him. 

"Some black smoke smashed it. I'm thinking it was a demon." Dean explained, as he picked up his flask of holy water and quickly threw some of its contents over Bobby. Dean waited anxiously, expecting something to happen, but he soon relaxed when nothing did and Bobby and wiped his face. "Sorry, I had to make sure." Dean apologised, even though Bobby didn't look annoyed with him whatsoever. 

"I know. Don't worry about it." Bobby replied. 

"So, what are you doing here? I thought you weren't going to arrive until morning." Dean questioned. 

"I had to make sure you idjits are alright." Bobby replied, before looking over at Sam who was now sitting on the edge of his bed, "How about you boys come back to my house? Then in the morning we can open presents and have Christmas dinner." Bobby suggested, which brought a smile to both brother's faces. 

Sam got changed out of his pyjamas, unable to get his t-shirt and jeans on quick enough. Dean also did the same, making sure they had all of their weapons because they wouldn't be coming back here. Bobby was planning to call their father in the morning to tell him where they are and what happened, as he decided to let the Winchester's stay with him until John was finished with the case. 

It didn't take them very long to get to Bobby's, and when they did, the brother's went straight to bed; however, for the first time in a while Sam couldn't sleep because of how excited he was for Christmas day. For once he had something to look forward to, for once he had his family together for Christmas. 

********* ********** ********** 

Sam woke up to over a foot of snow outside. He rested his hands on the window sill, staring outside in awe at the snow covering the ground and the cars outside in the junkyard. Everything looked magical and filled Sam with excitement, so as soon as he heard his brother stir, Sam leaped off his bed and bounced onto Dean's bed. "Dean! Dean, wake up!" Sam grinned, nudging Dean to wake him up. 

Dean, however, wasn't as willing to wake up as Sam was. "What?" He groaned sleepily, 

"It's Christmas, wake up!" Sam cheered, grinning widely at his brother and shaking him more to wake him up. 

Dean let out another groan and turned over, "I'm tired, just give me another ten minutes." Dean murmured into his pillow.

"No, it's 7:30, please get up!" Sam continued to pester Dean, climbing off the bed when his brother finally sat up. 

"Alright, alright, I'll get up. Just calm down." Dean held back a smile, glad to see Sam happy for a change. 

Sam grabbed Dean's arm, practically pulling him out of bed and downstairs to the living room. Whilst Dean was on the phone to their father last night, Sam had wrapped Dean's present up and as soon as they'd got to Bobby's he'd put it under the Christmas tree. "Come on!" Sam grinned as he sprinted into the living room and almost skidded onto the floor. 

Bobby, who had been up for half an hour, chuckled when he saw the younger Winchester's excitement. "You boys are up early." Bobby pointed out.

Dean rolled his eyes, "I would've been up later if it wasn't for someone." He joked, looking at Sam as he was the one who woke him up. 

"It's Christmas!" Sam defended, as he reached under the tree and pulled out a messily wrapped box. "Merry Christmas, Dean." 

Dean smiled, not expecting Sam to have brought anything for him so he was surprised when Sam handed the box to him. Dean ripped off the newspaper that Sam had used to wrap his present up, furrowing his eyebrows when he saw a brown box. He slowly lifted the lid and a smile grew on his face when he noticed the same plaque that Sam had been looking at when they were at the Christmas market yesterday. "Wow.." Dean said under his breath as he read the quote again, it meaning a lot to him and making him feel warm and happy inside. He looked up at Sam, managing not to get too emotion. "Thank you, Sam. I love it." He smiled more, before putting the box aside and pulling his brother into a hug. 

Sam hugged Dean just as tightly, giving him a pat on the back before pulling away, "It's alright, Dean. I wanted to get something for you, because you always get something for me, and I feel bad for not giving you anything in return." Sam explained sweetly, which only made Dean smile more. 

"You know that doesn't bother me." Dean replied, however despite these words, it was clear how happy he was because he'd gotten a present from Sam. 

Dean reached under the tree, pulling out a rectangular shaped present, which was the book he had brought for Sam the other day. "For you." Dean said as he handed the gift to Sam. Even though he knew that Sam was obsessed with the Harry Potter series, Dean was still worried that he wouldn't like it. However, when he saw a smile spread across Sam's face after he ripped off the wrapping paper, it was clear that he liked it. 

"Wow..Thank you, Dean!" Sam exclaimed, his smile radiating with happiness as he wrapped his arms around his brother and gave him a hug. 

Dean hugged Sam tightly, giving him an affectionate pat on the back, "It's no problem, Sammy. I'm glad you like it." Dean replied, hugging his brother for a few more seconds, before pulling away. 

Now that exchanging presents was out of the way, both of the brothers went upstairs to get changed. Bobby had promised them that they could play outside in the snow while he cooked the Christmas dinner. Sam had only ever had one Christmas dinner, which was at Bobby's house when he was seven years old, therefore he was looking forward to having it again. He got dressed into a Ravenclaw t-shirt -which Dean had brought for him the previous Christmas- and a navy blue hoodie, which was fleecy inside. He pulled his brown boots on, then stood in front of the mirror and straightened his mop of hair. 

Once he was finished, he headed out of his bedroom, seeing Dean waiting for him on the landing. Dean was wearing a black t-shirt with a blue over shirt, jeans which were ripped slightly at the top of his left leg and dark brown boots. Despite Sam being older and now capable of dressing himself, when Dean approached him he zipped Sam's fleece up for him, much like he used to do when Sam was younger. "Ready to go outside?" He asked after giving his brother a pat on the shoulder. 

"Yes." Sam smiled. He then followed Dean downstairs and out the back door into the yard, which couldn't be seen because of the amount of snow covering the ground. "Let's build a snowman." Sam suggested enthusiastically. 

"Okay." Dean replied, before beginning to roll a large snowball for the body of the snowman, meanwhile Sam gathered some snow together for the head. 

It didn't take Sam very long to build the head of the snowman, so when he was finished, he helped Dean finish off the body. They pushed it together, rolling it around in a circle to gather more snow, before gently patting it to keep it in place. The snow felt cold on their hands, but neither of the brothers cared, because it was nice to have some fun for a change. 

As they were rolling it, Sam's foot suddenly collided with some ice, sending him straight to the snowy floor as the ball rolled away from him. 

Dean chuckled when he saw Sam lying face down in the snow. "Wow, aren't you clumsy?" He teased, causing Sam to look up and give him a glare. 

Sam carefully stood up, brushing the snow off of his now soaking wet coat. He hadn't hurt himself, because the snow had broken his fall, however now he felt cold as the snow had soaked his jeans and gone through to his legs. "I'm cold." He complained. 

"You would be if you just fell in the snow." Dean teased, which only caused him to get hit in the face with a snowball that Sam had just thrown. "Oh you'll pay for that." He grinned, before bending down, quickly rolling a snowball and throwing it at Sam. 

Getting hit by a snowball made no difference to Sam, because he was cold and wet to begin with. Sam playfully rolled his eyes at Dean, before throwing another snowball at him. The snowball fight lasted for a few more minutes, before both brother’s were soaked with water.  
“Okay, okay.” Dean put his arms in the air in defense, chuckling softly, “What do you say we finish the snowman and go inside?” He suggested.  
“Fine, if you’re surrendering.” Sam teased,  
“I’m not surrendering. I just knew I would win so there’s no point.” Dean joked, giving Sam a punch on the arm.  
“Yeah, sure you will.” Sam teased.  
The boys then finished off creating the snowman’s body, and Sam helped Dean as he lifted the head of the snowman onto the body. Sam then grabbed some sticks for the arms, as Dean collected some stones for the eyes and the mouth.  
“It needs something else.” Dean announced, before turning to his brother, “Why don’t you work your puppy dog magic and get Bobby to give us and carrot, while I get the rest of the stuff?” Dean suggested, and with that the brothers ran inside.  
Dean sprinted upstairs as Sam went over to Bobby, who was cooking the Christmas dinner. “Uncle Bobby, can I have a carrot please?” Sam asked, putting on his best puppy dog eyed look, which never failed to work on both Dean and Bobby.  
“You’re having carrots with your dinner.” Bobby replied, at first not understanding what it was for.  
“I know, but Dean and I need one for the snowman we’ve made.” Sam explained.  
Bobby rolled his eyes when he saw Sam continuing to give him a cute look, “Alright kiddo, just stop with the puppy dog eyes.” Bobby teased, before reaching into the fridge and handing Sam a carrot.  
“Thanks Bobby!” Sam smiled as he took the carrot. He then ran back outside, where he found Dean putting a Gryffindor scarf on the snowman.  
Sam reached up and put the carrot in the centre of the snowman’s face, before stepping back and standing next to his brother.  
“Looks pretty badass, doesn’t it?” Dean grinned, putting his arm across his brother’s shoulders.  
“Yes.” Sam replied, feeling proud of himself for what they had created.  
“At least it has a Gryffindor scarf and not the nerd house one you have.” Dean teased, removing his arm from Sam’s shoulders to ruffle his mop of hair.  
Sam pushed Dean’s arm away, “Shut up.” He chuckled.  
They admired the snowman for a bit longer, before going up to their bedrooms to get changed. Not long after they had done so Bobby called them downstairs for Christmas dinner.  
The smell alone was enough to make Dean’s mouth water; he couldn’t remember the last time he had a meal like this. He took his seat at the table with Sam next to him, helping himself to some potatoes and vegetables, before almost instantly tucking in. He let out a groan of delight at the mouthwatering taste of the turkey. “This is good.” He said, his voice muffled as he got his words out through a mouthful of food.  
“I can tell.” Bobby teased, glad that both of the boys were enjoying it.  
Dinner was later interrupted by a knock on the door, and Sam and Dean exchanged glances, unsure who it could be. Bobby wiped his mouth on a napkin, before going to answer the door, and much to his surprise he saw none other than John Winchester standing there.  
“I hope I’m not too late.” John said as he made his way inside, dumping his duffel bag near the door.  
“We’re just having dinner. There’s some left if you want it.” Bobby replied, because despite being annoyed at John for abandoning his sons at Christmas, he couldn’t just tell him to go away, not on Christmas day.  
Sam looked up, a smile spreading across his face when he saw John enter the room, “Dad!” Sam exclaimed, feeling too happy at the moment to be mad at his father.  
“Hey Sammy. Dean.” John smiled a little, however that smile soon faded when he saw Dean staring down at his now empty plate.  
“So you decided to show?” Dean asked quietly, clearly still annoyed with John.  
“I finished the hunt as quick as I could, son.” John attempted to explain.  
Dean opened his mouth to say something else, but he managed to stop himself, because he knew better than to argue, plus he didn’t want to make their father angry on Christmas day; it wouldn’t be fair to ruin Sam’s good mood.  
As soon as Sam finished eating, he rushed over to the couch, picking up the book Dean had brought him before returning to the table. “Dad, look what Dean brought me!” Sam said excitedly, and Dean couldn’t help but smile when he realised how childlike Sam was acting.  
John only glanced at the book, “That’s nice, son.” John replied, not seeming at all that interested in what Sam was showing him.  
Bobby saw Sam frown at John’s disinterest, so he decided to step him, “You like Harry Potter, don’t you? I’m sure you’ll like reading that, and your brother won’t hear the end of it when you do.” Bobby joked, glad when he saw a smile appear on Sam’s face.  
“Oh great, so I have a Harry Potter lesson to look forward too.” Dean teased, which only made Sam hit his shoulder.  
After dinner, Bobby and the Winchesters sat down to watch a movie, with some mugs of hot chocolate to warm them up. Sam had decided on Home Alone, which he had watched last Christmas in the motel with Dean. Dean too enjoyed it; however he wasn’t sure if John was as interested as the boys were, because halfway through the movie he started reading a newspaper, but he soon got put into place by Bobby, who told John to stop being antisocial.


	24. First Day Of School

After a long, heated discussion with John, Sam and Dean had convinced him to let them go to school. Dean didn't care about getting an education, but he had agreed to it for Sam, because since Christmas, he hadn't stopped talking about starting school. 

It was the middle of January, so the air was bitterly cold. That morning the Impala was covered in a thick layer of ice, which meant, while Sam and Dean were getting ready, John had to scrape the ice off the car. John wasn't happy with the idea of the boys attending school, because even though it was good for them to get an education, John knew that it wouldn't help them when it came to hunting. 

The school was no less than ten minutes away from the motel. Whilst the boys were at school John was planning on spending the time hunting. He had found a hunt an hour away, which involved three supposed suicides, all in the space of two days. 

The boys were due at school at 9am, so they decided they would leave at 8:45am, to ensure they weren't going to be late. Dean was wearing his usual denim jacket, with flannel and a t-shirt, whereas Sam was dressed more appropriately with a winter coat, a hoodie and a t-shirt. 

Sam stared out of the window, smiling in excitement when he saw a large building up ahead, with a brown sign outside. Written on the sign was the name 'Lebanon High School'. The boys wouldn't be staying here for very long, because as soon as their father got back, they would be leaving, but that didn't take away Sam's excitement. 

Due to Sam being only eleven years old, he would be attending middle school, meanwhile Dean would be at high school. Much to Sam's relief, however, both schools were next door to each other, so Dean would be able to visit Sam during lunch and break times. 

"Have a good day, boys." John said as the brothers climbed out of the car. He then rolled down the window and leaned slightly out of the car, "And Dean, watch out for your brother." 

Dean nodded, "I always do, sir." Dean replied, waving goodbye to their dad and watching the Impala drive off into the distance. Dean wished he could've gone on the hunting trip with their dad, because he enjoyed hunting, but he knew that they couldn't just leave Sam on his own for a week, unprotected. 

Sam's stomach did a somersault when he looked up at the school. The building was modern, whereas the high school Dean was attending looked like it had been around since the late 1800's. 

"Are you okay, Sammy?" Dean asked, picking up on his brother's nerves. 

Sam nodded, "Sure. I'm just nervous, that's all." He confessed quietly.

Dean gave Sam a comforting pat on the back, "Hey, you'll be fine, and I'm sure you'll make lots of friends in your classes." Dean assured him, his eyes meeting Sam's when he looked up at him, "Don't worry, I'll see you at break." Dean promised.

"Okay.." Sam nodded, before wrapping his arms around his brother's waist and giving him a hug. "I'll see you soon." He added as he pulled away, feeling better after hearing Dean's reassurance. 

Sam held onto the strap of his navy blue backpack, the snow crunching under his feet as he walked up to his school; he didn't see Dean watching him to make sure he didn't run into any trouble.

When Sam pushed open the glass doors, he noticed a long corridor where groups of students were crowding around lockers. It was overwhelming to the younger Winchester, who had never been in a room with this many people before.   
Sam wasn't sure where to go, so he headed towards a nearby teacher, who seemed nice enough to help him. "Hello." He greeted politely, but shyly, as he nervously fiddled with the zip on his jacket. "I um...I was wondering if you could help me. I'm new here, and this is my first day." Sam explained. 

The teacher looked down at Sam, smiling as she greeted him, "I'm Mrs Karter." She introduced herself and her soft voice, along with her kind expression was what made Sam's nerves subside. “If you follow me then I’ll take you to the headmaster’s office to get your timetable.”

“Okay.” Sam smiled back. He then followed Mrs Karter down a hallway to the left of them, which was littered with whole school photographs, dating back at least ten years. The headmaster's office was at the end of the corridor. Sam had never been to school, so he was feeling quite nervous about this, even more so when he saw the headmaster open the door. The headmaster was tall and seemed intimidating to the younger Winchester, however there was a hint of kindness in his expression as he looked down, which made Sam feel somewhat at ease around him. 

The headmaster pushed his glasses up his nose, “I’m guessing you’re Sam Winchester.” 

“Y-yes, sir.” Sam nodded, his shoulders hunched slightly as he turned shy.

The headmaster stepped to the side, letting Sam into his office, “Come in, I’ll give you your timetable and tell you about the basic rules, but I’m sure you know how schools work by now, am I correct?”   
Sam hesitated for a moment, feeling awkward about telling the headmaster that he’s wrong, but he didn’t want to get caught in a spiral of lies, so he shook his head. “I-I’ve been home schooled.” He said simply when the headmaster raised his eyebrow at him. 

“Right.” The headmaster nodded, before walking over to his desk and handing Sam a piece of paper with a selection of classes on.   
Sam’s eyes scanned over the timetable, noticing that he had Maths, Art, P.E, Lunch then double English. Sam enjoyed reading books and he had even wrote some stories when he was alone, so he was really looking forward to English class. 

“Here are a list of rules. You seem like a good kid, so I doubt if you’ll have any trouble with them.” The headteacher said, handing Sam a list of rules.  
There were rules about not eating in class, not using a phone in class, no running in the corridors, no swearing and many more. Dean would definitely struggle with the no swearing and no eating rules, Sam thought to himself. 

After he’d finished, Sam signed a contract saying that he’d read the rules and received his timetable. He then politely thanked the headteacher and made his way to class. Sam was feeling nervous about Math class, because the only Math he knew was the basic Math that Dean had taught him, like adding and subtracting; he was afraid that he would be behind everyone else. The school wasn’t confusingly big, so Sam was able to find the right classroom quickly.   
His stomach churned when he saw that everyone was already inside. He took a deep breath, his hand shaking as he slowly opened the door, his other hand gripping the strap of his bag tightly. All the students in the class turned their heads to look at Sam. There were a group of popular kids whispering and sniggering amongst themselves, a group of posh girls who were looking at Sam as if he was a piece of dirt and some slightly scary looking boys towards the back, who were leaning back in their seats, looking like they didn’t have a care in the world. 

On the whiteboard, the teacher was writing some complicated looking questions, that involved letters as well as numbers; Sam didn’t understand it at all. The teacher stopped writing and turned to Sam, “Are you Sam Winchester?” He asked and Sam nodded shyly. “Take your seat. There are some towards the back of the class.” The teacher said firmly and Sam had already decided that he didn’t like this class. 

Sam kept his head down, avoiding looking at anyone as he made his way to a desk over in the corner of the room; however, when he got there, a boy quickly put his bag down. “You can’t sit there, midget.” The boy said harshly, which caught the teacher’s attention and instead of telling the boy off for being rude, the teacher chose to tell Sam off. 

“Get to your seat. You’re holding up my lesson!” The teacher scolded, and Sam didn’t say anything as he dragged his feet along the floor and sat at another desk, which so happened to be right in front of the rough looking boys. The boys were all wearing dirty hoodies, with backwards caps, jewellry and ripped jeans; Sam definitely didn’t want to get on the wrong side of them.   
Sam got his books and pens out of his bag, laying them out neatly on the desk in front of him. He began to copy down what the teacher was writing on the whiteboard, trying to make a better impression than he already had done. Not much more than five minutes into copying the notes down, Sam felt somebody kicking the back of his chair. He turned around, only to see one of the boys smiling at him. “Can you stop that please? I’m trying to copy the notes down.” Sam asked politely, which only caused one of the boys to kick his chair harder. 

“Can I have a look at your notes?” Another boy asked, and Sam, being the kind hearted individual he is, showed his notes to the boy, who quickly snatched them from Sam’s hand and screw them into a ball, before throwing them at Sam and laughing.   
Sam frowned, before unscrewing the piece of paper, that had hit his forehead and attempting to straighten it out. Then, when he had gotten it straight enough so the writing on it was readable, Sam resumed what he was previously working on. When the time came to mark the work, Sam had only completed about half of the questions. 

The teacher stepped up to the whiteboard and then proceeded to ask different students for the answers. By the time he’d gotten around to Sam, they were almost at the end of the list of questions. The questions towards the bottom of the whiteboard were the most difficult, especially for someone who hadn’t dealt with Algebra before. 

“Mr Winchester, what’s the answer to question 27?” The teacher asked. 

Sam glanced at the board, before looking down at his piece of paper, even though he hadn’t written anything down for that question. 

“Winchester, we’re waiting.” The teacher looked down at Sam, which was intimidating for Sam, especially when most of the class turned around to stare at him. 

Sam hesitated for a moment, decided to add the numbers in front of the letters together, “Um...Five.” He replied, hanging his head when he heard sniggering coming from around the classroom. 

The teacher rolled his eyes, before dumping a heavy textbook in front of Sam. “Take that home, read it and maybe you’ll be able to answer a question next lesson.” He said harshly, which only humiliated Sam more. 

Sam remained as quiet as he could for the rest of the lesson, ignoring people as they laughed and whispered harsh things about him. He felt a tear forming in his eye, but he managed to hold it back until the end of the lesson, at which point he went into the bathrooms to calm himself down. He thought school was fun and he had been very excited to make new friends, but right now, all he wanted to do was go back to the motel and spend time with his brother. 

Art class wasn’t much better. They were told to paint an object that they had in their bag. Sam chose to paint an apple. He drew the outline of it, before mixing blue and yellow paint together to make green. He was almost finished painting it when suddenly the pot on his desk got knocked over, spilling water all over his painting. 

“Oops, sorry, freak.” A voice chuckled harshly and Sam looked up, only to see one of the bullies from his Math class. The bully smirked at the shocked look on Sam’s face, “What’s wrong? Going to cry, Losechester?” The bully mocked, and all of a sudden Sam felt anger build up inside him,

“No, I’m not. Now go away.” He said firmly, however he soon backed down when he saw the bully glare at him. 

“You’d better watch what you say to me. You’re in my P.E class next and it’ll be such a shame if you got hurt.” The bully threatened, and Sam tried his best not to look afraid. He had been through a lot of training so he should almost be an expert at fighting, but   
Sam had never been in a proper fight before so he didn’t know if he would be able to handle it, especially since this boy was almost twice his size. 

“Josh, quit bothering Sam!” The teacher shouted firmly from the front of the classroom, and Sam assumed that she must be talking to the bully. 

Josh sighed before turning to Sam, “I’ll see you later, freak.” He smirked evilly, before walking back to his seat with the popular kids. 

Sam felt a knot in his stomach, nervously awaiting his next lesson, because this time Dean wasn’t around to protect him if the possible fight went bad. Sam managed to get some of the water off his painting, but the paint had already smudged, so it didn’t look like an apple anymore. It was just a green smudge. Sam let out a sigh as he put the painting on the drying rack at the back of the classroom to dry.   
Sam’s heart jumped when he heard the bell ring, signalling that it was time for his next lesson. He put his bag over his shoulder, holding onto the strap as he shakily made his way to the changing rooms, to get changed into his P.E kit. He kept his head down as he got changed, not uttering a word to anyone. 

Once everyone had finished getting changed the teacher led the class outside, explaining that the boys will be playing football. Everybody chose their teams and the class was divided into two teams of popular kids, the bullies and the nerds.   
Sam liked the look of the kids on the nerdy team, as each of them looked friendly, so he slowly approached them. “Excuse me, would you mind if I joined your team?” Sam asked shyly. 

One of the boys on that team frowned, “I’m sorry, but we’ve got the maximum number of people.” The boy replied, genuinely looking sad about not being able to let sam on his team. 

“Winchester, you’re with Josh!” The teacher shouted as he approached the field with two balls. 

“Yes!” Josh cheered, but of course Sam knew that Josh’s happiness didn’t mean anything good. 

During the whole of the first game Sam was in goal. He hated it, but he didn’t have a choice, because he was frightened that if he said no then Josh would do something to him. Sam spread his arms out wide, getting ready to knock the ball out of the way when he saw it coming towards him. However, when he went to dive for it, he ended up missing it by several inches and falling straight into the mud, causing his team and the opposition team -which was filled with popular kids- to laugh at him. 

“Oh my God, you’re useless!” Josh exclaimed in annoyance, “Your name should be Losechester.” He added and suddenly more laughter erupted from around Sam.

“Losechester. That’s a good one, Josh.” Another boy teased.

Sam tried his hardest to ignore them and slowly got to his feet, brushing the mud off his knees when suddenly he found himself being pushed to the ground, hard. He looked up, only to find Josh standing over him, smirking. 

“What’s the matter?” Josh chuckled when he saw tears in Sam’s eyes, “Come on Losechester, fight me!” Josh challenged, and Sam was determined not to make an idiot out of himself, so he quickly got to his feet and pushed Josh backwards, smiling confidently to himself when he saw the surprise on Josh’s face. He obviously hadn’t been expecting somebody like Sam to be good at fighting. 

“I’m not afraid of you, Josh.” Sam said, managing to hide his fear. However, his newly found confidence disappeared as quickly as it came, when he felt somebody grab his collar. He looked behind him, seeing one of Josh’s friends, who looked like he would grow him to be a bodybuilder or something. 

“You were saying.” The boy teased and Sam’s eyes widened when Josh got to his feet. 

“You’re going to regret that.” Josh threatened, swinging his fist at Sam and punching him in the face, knocking him straight to the ground. 

Sam clutched his eye when he fell down, cutting his knee in the process. He knew his eye would be bruised and without a doubt Dean would freak out about it if he found out. Sam let out a cough when Josh kicked him stomach, “I guess you’re going to go home and cry to your mommy now, aren’t you?” The boy spat harshly and that was what hurt Sam; it hurt him more than the physical pain Josh had caused, because Sam would give anything to have his mom back. 

When the bell rang, everybody went up to the changing rooms to get changed, but Sam sat on a bench at the edge of the field, not wanting to face anyone. Tears ran down his cheeks and he winced in pain as he tried to wipe them away, his eye feeling swollen from where Josh had punched it. 

Sam didn’t look up from his hands when he saw a pair of feet in front of him, assuming it was one of the bullies come back to tease him; however when he heard a gentle voice say, “Are you okay?” Sam looked up, only to see one of the boys from the nerdy team looking down at him. 

“Yeah..I guess.” Sam murmured, keeping his hand over his eye.

The boy sat down next to Sam, able to tell that he was far from okay. “I’m sorry about what those boys did to you. They’re jerks.” The boy spoke softly.

Sam nodded, “They are..” He replied, looking away from the boy. 

“I’m Jimmy, by the way.” The boy introduced himself, hoping to make friends with Sam, because he too used to get bullied by those boys, so he knew how Sam felt. 

“Sam.” Sam said simply, wincing in pain as he managed a small smile. 

“We should get you to the first aid room.” Jimmy suggested, before helping Sam to his feet. 

Sam put his arm across Jimmy’s shoulders, giving him a grateful look, “Thank you.” Sam said quietly, appreciating Jimmy’s kindness. 

“It’s okay, Sam.” Jimmy smiled, helping Sam through the school to the first aid room, which was near the main office. He told the nurse what happened on the playing field and she promised to report the boys to one of the teachers. 

Jimmy stayed with Sam, as the nurse gave him an ice pack to put on his eye before putting a plaster over the cut on his knee. Despite having made friends with Jimmy Sam still wanted Dean, because he made him feel safe, happy and loved; everything that he wasn’t feeling right now. 

 

A/N: Hey guys! ^_^  
Sorry this chapter was sadder than the others, but don’t worry there is cuteness to come. I hope you all enjoyed it.   
Please comment what you think of the story so far.


	26. Watching Out For Sammy

It was lunchtime, but Sam wasn’t feeling hungry at all. He was sat in the first aid room, holding an ice pack over his eye whilst wishing he could go home.

“Sam, are you coming to lunch? You can sit with me and my friends. They’re nice.” Jimmy assured him, but Sam shook his head, “Come on, you’ve got to eat.” Jimmy attempted to encourage Sam, not wanting him to go hungry for the rest of the day.

“Can you…My brother said he would meet me at the school gate this lunchtime, would you mind going there and bringing him here?” Sam asked quietly, hoping that he wasn’t causing anymore trouble for Jimmy, as he’d already gone out of his way to make sure Sam’s okay.

“Of course I can.” Jimmy replied kindly, before leaving the room.

Sam let out a sigh, staring at the other side of the wall. He wanted Dean, because he always made him feel better, but he was still apprehensive about how Dean would react to this. He remembered one time at the park when Sam got bullied -he was only four years old at the time- and Dean beat up the teenagers who did it. But this time was different, Sam had been trained in fighting by Dean and their father, so he was worried that Dean might think he’s weak for not being able to defend himself.

Sam looked up when he heard a familiar voice from the doorway say “Sammy?” And Sam looked up, only to see Dean standing there with a concerned expression on his face.

“I’ll see you later, Sam.” Jimmy said from behind Dean, “Feel better soon.” He added, before waving goodbye to Sam and leaving.

“Hey Dean…” Sam murmured, looking away from his brother and wincing in pain when his eye started hurting again.

Dean bit his lip and sat down next to his brother. “Let me take a look at that.” He said, signalling to Sam’s eye.

Sam shook his head, giving Dean a panicked look, telling him that he didn’t want him to take a look at it.   
Dean placed his hand on his brother’s shoulder, “It’s okay, Sammy. I’m not going to touch it, I’m only going to look at it, okay?” Dean reassured him and his soft tone was what made Sam slowly remove the ice patch.

Dean winced when he saw the purple bruise around Sam’s eye. His cheek was swollen and it looked like the punch had just missed his eye. “Can you see out of it? How many fingers am I holding up?” Dean asked, before holding up two of his fingers and his thumb.

Sam covered his good eye and looked at Dean’s hand, “Three.” He replied.   
Dean shook his head, “Nope. Two fingers and one thumb.” He joked, however despite this, he was relieved to hear that Sam’s vision was okay.

Sam managed a small smile, before gently punching the top of Dean’s arm, “Same thing, jerk.” He teased.  
Dean chuckled, “Well your vision’s fine. Your eye is just a little swollen and there’s a bruise around it, but you’ll live.” Dean assured Sam, ruffling his hair and smiling when Sam hit his hand away.   
S  
am’s smiled faded as quickly as it came and when Dean picked up on his brother’s sadness, he pulled him into a hug. Nobody knew sam like Dean did, not even their father. Sam didn’t even need to talk and Dean would be able to tell that something’s wrong.

Sam wrapped his arms around Dean’s waist, putting the ice pack back over his eye as it was helping to numb the pain. “When can we go back to the motel?” Sam asked quietly.

Dean ran his fingers through Sam’s mop of hair, “Not yet. We still have two more lessons to go.” Dean replied. Even though he didn’t really care about getting an education for himself, he still cared about Sam going to school. He wanted him to do well in life and not be tied to hunting like Dean was.

“But I don’t want to go to class. Everyone hates me.” Sam sniffled, tears falling down his cheeks which Dean gently wiped away.

Hearing Sam say that everybody hated him hurt Dean a lot, because he had always thought so much for Sam, and even though eh was supposed to be a role model, Dean often found himself looking up to Sam. Sam was smart, kind, caring and often put other people before himself; there wasn’t a day that passed where Dean didn’t feel proud of his brother for one reason or another. “You have one friend, I’m sure that kid who came and got me doesn’t hate you.” Dean comforted Sam, hugging him close to his chest.

“He’s nice, but most people aren’t. Th-they called me a freak.” Sam choked out through tears, not noticing that he was getting Dean’s shirt wet because of how much he’s crying.

That one word sparked anger inside Dean. His brother wasn’t a freak and Dean had done what he could to make sure Sam had as much of a normal life as he could. “Was this the same jerk who beat you up?” Dean asked, biting his lip hard when Sam nodded, confirming that it was the same kid.   
“He won't get away with this.” Dean growled. Nobody hurt his little brother and got away with it. 

Sam looked up at his brother and gave him a puppy dog eye look. “Dean, please don't.” Sam pleaded quietly, knowing that that meant his brother was going to try to hurt Josh.

“He hurt you, Sam.” Dean argued,

“I know..But I don't want you to get into trouble or get hurt.” Sam replied, practically begging Dean not to do this.

Dean sighed, “I'll be fine. I can handle a twelve year old.” He replied confidently, determined to make the boy pay.

“Please, just leave it. We’ll be gone in a couple of days.” Sam begged, and Dean picked up on Sam’s desperation and reluctantly gave in.

“Fine..” He still wanted to get revenge on the boy for hurting Sam, but Dean could tell that Sam didn’t want him to, so he decided to leave it...for now.   
Dean looked down at his watch, noticing that they were ten minutes into lunchtime. “Have you had lunch yet?” Dean asked Sam, who simply shook his head, “Why not?” Dean questioned, not wanting Sam to go hungry for the rest of the school day.

Sam shrugged, “I’m not hungry..” He muttered.

Dean pulled away from the hug and zipped open Sam’s backpack, bringing out his clear lunchbox. He took off the dark blue lid and placed it on the side,

“Come on, I made your favorite sandwich this morning.” Dean attempted to encourage Sam, once again taking on the parental role, which was something that their dad was supposed to do, but it now seemed like a second nature to Dean; it was something he had to do and always got done with little fuss.

“I don’t want it..You can have it.” Sam muttered, the sadness, created by the events of today, putting him off his food.

“I’m not eating that. I had rabbit food in it.” Dean joked, pulling a disgusted face which made Sam smile a little,

“It isn’t going to kill you.” Sam teased,

“You don’t know that.” Dean defended dramatically.

Sam rolled his eyes, “We’ll see.” He chuckled weakly as he picked up half of the sandwich, taking a bite and soon the delicious taste made his hunger return, so without saying anything he continued to eat it.   
After finishing the first half of the sandwich Sam smiled at Dean, and this time it was a genuine smile. “See? I’m fine.”

“You might not be after the other half.” Dean replied just as dramatically as before, tactfully trying to encourage Sam to eat the other half, because he knew that Sam like to tease his brother, especially when it came to food.

“It’s good for you.” Sam explained as he picked up the other half and took a bite out of it, “See? It’s nice.” He smiled after swallowing.

Dean pulled a disgusted face, “Yeah, if you’re a rabbit.” He teased. He didn’t show it, but he was relieved that he’d managed to convince Sam to eat.  
Dean stayed by Sam’s side. Watching his brother eat made Dean feel hungry too. He didn’t have much for breakfast and he’d only brought a bag of crisps (potato chips) with him, which he’d eaten earlier.

Sam finished his ham salad sandwich and the grapes Dean had put in a box for him. He reached for the last item in his lunch box, which was a chocolate bar. He glanced at Dean as he teared open the wrapper and after noticing that Dean wasn’t eating anything, Sam broke his chocolate bar in half and offered a piece to his brother. “Here.”

As much as the piece of chocolate was making Dean’s mouth water, he couldn’t bring himself to take it from Sam. “No, it’s yours.” Dean replied, but Sam was able to tell by the look on Dean’s face, that he wanted the piece of chocolate. Whenever Dean wanted something to eat but let Sam have it, Sam would often catch him staring longingly at the piece of food, which was exactly what he was doing now.

Sam moved the piece of chocolate towards Dean, “Just take it, Jerk.” He smiled,

“Sure, midget.” Dean teased, as he took the chocolate from Sam, taking a bite and eating it slowly to savour the taste.

Sam rolled his eyes, but despite that nickname being what the bullies used when they were horrible to him, Sam didn’t take it as Dean being offensive. Even when the brothers were little they would use insults as terms of endearment, so Sam knew that when Dean called him a name, he didn’t mean it to hurt him.

Dean stayed in the first aid room with Sam until lunch had ended, at which point he had no choice but to go back to his own school. “I’m sorry, Sam, but I have to go.” Dean frowned when he saw Sam do the same, “What class do you have now?” He asked.

Sam got his timetable out of the pocket of his jacket, unfolding it and looking at the last two lessons he had today. “Double English.” He replied.

“Okay, well, I’ll meet you outside the school gate at the end of the day.” Dean said, affectionately patting Sam’s shoulder as he stood up. “You’ll be fine. It’s only a couple of hours then we can go back to the motel.” Dean reassured Sam, after seeing the worried look on his face.

Sam nodded as he shakily got to his feet, “O-okay. See you later, Dean.” Sam replied, giving his brother a quick hug, before started to walk to class. The closer he got to the classroom the more a nausea sensation grew in his stomach. He didn’t want to face the bullies again, because without a doubt they would make fun of him for not being able to defend himself and getting a black eye.

Sam hesitated for a few seconds before opening the door and when he did he suddenly felt himself relax a little when he realised that none of the bullies were in this class. In fact the only people in his class from his PE lesson was Jimmy and his friends.   
Jimmy smiled, waving Sam over to his table when he saw him enter the room. Sam smiled back and made his way over to Jimmy, sitting down on the chair next to him. “Hi.” Sam said, feeling more comfortable about being in this class.

Sam got his books out of his bag, putting them on the table. The class started by doing fifteen minutes of silent reading. Sam chose to read the Harry Potter book Dean had brought his for Christmas. One of Jimmy’s friends was reading Philosopher’s Stone, so after silent reading was over, Sam had a conversation with Jimmy’s friend about Harry Potter. He discovered that the boy with a Gryffindor, as Jimmy as a Hufflepuff and Sam was a Ravenclaw. The boy’s conversation was soon cut short by the teacher, who explained what they had to do during this lesson.   
Sam suddenly felt excitement rush through him when the teacher announced that they would be doing creative writing today. They had to write a story about their Christmas. Sam’s hadn’t been the best Christmas that a kid could have, but he chose to write about the Christmas market and what they did on Christmas day; both of which had been made special for Sam by Dean.   
Sam described what the Christmas market was like, he described the snowball fight and what had happened with Casey. Sam had chosen to include that part because it showed best what his brother was like; how he always put Sam before himself and sometimes even before his own happiness.

By the middle of their second English lesson Sam had finished writing and it wasn’t long before the teacher came around to collect their papers. Whilst the teacher was marking their stories he told the class to read their books for the rest of the lesson, which Sam didn’t complain about because he loved his book so far and was certain that he would never get bored of it.   
At the end of the lesson the teacher gave the class their papers back, however when he got to Sam he stopped. “Sam, please could I have a word with you after class?” The teacher asked and nerves suddenly washed over Sam, as because of the day he’d had, he was certain that he was in trouble for something; most likely his black eye.

“Yes sir.” Sam replied quietly.

When the bell signalled the end of the lesson Sam packed away his books, but he didn’t leave with the rest of the class.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Sam.” Jimmy said, waving goodbye to his new friend.

“See you tomorrow.” Sam smiled a little, before watching Jimmy leave. He then let out a sigh and made his way over to the teacher’s desk after everyone had left.

The teacher looked up at Sam, noticing that he was nervously fiddling with the zip on his jacket, as if he was scared that he was about to get told off. “Don’t worry, Sam. You aren’t in trouble.” The teacher reassured him.

Sam furrowed his eyebrows, “This isn’t about the fight?” He questioned in disbelief.

The teacher shook his head, “No. I am already aware of what happened and I do know it wasn’t your fault.” He explained, which made Sam relax.

“The reason why I kept you behind was to talk about this.” The teacher held up Sam’s work, tactfully angling it so that he couldn’t see the grade on the front of it.

“If it’s because it’s written badly then I can-” Sam trailed off when the teacher raised his hand to tell him to stop talking.

“It isn’t written badly. In fact, it’s one of the best written and most touching stories I’ve heard from this class. You have quite a talent for writing, Sam.”   
Sam looked up, almost not believing what the teacher said because he wasn’t used to getting compliments from people other than Dean.

“Really?” He questioned,

The teacher smiled and finally handed Sam his work, “Why else do you think I’ve given it an A?”

A smile spread across Sam’s face and his eyes widened when he saw the letter ‘A’ written in red at the top of his paper. “Thank you.” Sam smiled, holding onto the piece of paper as if it was a lifeline.

“You don’t need to thank me, you deserve it.” The teacher chuckled, “I know this might seem like a personal question, but is your brother really like that?”

“Yes, all of that was true.” Sam confirmed,

“Well, it looks like you’ve got a good brother, better than most. Not many would do that.” He explained, and Sam couldn’t deny that he agreed with every word. Dean was the best brother anyone could ask for. “I have to say, it even made me emotional during some parts.” The teacher added jokingly.

“He can still be annoying sometimes, but he is the best.” Sam joked back, smiling the most he’d smiled all day.

“So, I’m guessing you want to pursue writing and become a writer when you grow up?” The teacher asked, and it was clear how much he believed in Sam.

Sam’s smile faded a little when he remembered that his dad wanted him to go into the hunting business. “I can’t. I have to go into the family business.” He sighed, showing just how much he didn’t want to spend the rest of his life hunting monsters.

“And what’s that?”

“My dad’s a..My dad’s a mechanic, so I have to be a mechanic too.” Sam lied, knowing that he couldn’t just tell the teacher about hunting, because he wouldn’t believe him and without a doubt would think that Sam’s crazy.

“And do you want to do that? Do you want to go into the family business, Sam?” The teacher asked,

“Nobody’s ever given me the option to quit before.” Sam confessed quietly, watching the teacher as he walked around to the side of him, sitting on the top of the desk,

“Well do you?” The teacher asked again, and this time Sam gave an honest response,

“More than anything, no.” He shook his head, knowing that he would only get shouted at if he admitted that in front of his father.

“Well, you don’t have to do anything that you don’t want to do. Nobody can make you do anything. You’re in control of your own life, Sam. Live it the way you want to live.” the teacher advised and Sam nodded,

“I will. I’ll try.” He promised. Before this conversation with his teacher, Sam had been convinced that he would be hunting monsters until he died, but now it felt like there was a glimmer of hope. Hope of getting out and leaving the hunting life behind.


	27. A Brother's Vengeance

Sam's spirits had lifted since the conversation with his teacher. He was now more focused on what he wanted to do, and despite his father's stubborn views on the Winchester's future, Sam was planning on pursuing the life he wanted, which was one that didn't involve putting his life on the line, hunting monsters.

After collecting his stuff from his locker, Sam made his way outside to meet his brother by the school gate. Most of the kids had gone home, as it had been fifteen minutes since school ended, so there wasn't anybody in the yard -or so Sam thought. He was walking past some bins when suddenly he felt himself getting pulled to the ground by his backpack. He coughed when he hit the ground, his back hurting from the impact, but that was nothing compared to the fear he felt building up inside him when he saw nobody other than Josh standing over him.

"So you think you can get me put in detention and get away with it?" Josh shouted, and Sam winced when Josh kicked his side. "Get to your feet, Losechester, or you're gonna make this real easy for me." Josh grabbed Sam's t-shirt, forcefully pulling him up so that both boys were face-to-face, "I guess you aren't as good as you thought, freak." Josh smirked evilly, and raised his fist to punch Sam when he felt somebody grab his arm. He turned his head to see an older boy, wearing a leather jacket and a look of fury on his face.

"Yeah, we'll see about that." Dean threatened, before swinging his fist at Josh and knocking him straight to the ground. He then proceeded to help Sam to his feet, checking him over to see if he's okay.

"I'm fine, Dean." Sam assured his brother,

"Good. Just stay behind me." Dean suggested, protectively standing in front of Sam to prevent Josh from getting to him,

Josh got to his feet, ignoring the blood that was dripping down his face from where he'd grazed it on the pavement. "Who are you?" He demanded,

"Somebody you don't want to mess with." Dean spoke confidently, "Now you're going to leave my brother alone." He growled,

A smirk found its way onto Josh's face as he locked eyes with the older Winchester, "Oh am I?" He tested,

"Yes." Dean replied, fury in his eyes as he glared at Josh. He then dodged Josh's fist when he threw several punches at him, ducking each time and eventually rugby tackling him to the ground, with strength that surprised Josh. Dean swung his fist, punching Josh in the face, and he couldn't feel more satisfied when he heard the crack of Josh's nose breaking, "That's what you get for messing with my brother." Dean stated, giving Josh one final kick in the side before putting his arm across Sam's shoulders and guiding him away from the scene.

Sam kept his tear filled eyes on the ground as he dragged his feet along the pavement. Even though Josh had hurt him today on more than one occasion, Sam felt bad about Dean hurting him and also worried about what tomorrow will hold.

Neither of the boys said a word, and once they got back to the motel, Sam dumped his bag on the floor and threw himself onto his bed. Dean locked the front door, putting a thin line of salt at the bottom of it. His top teeth ran over his bottom lip as he looked over at Sam. Sam was usually happy and full of energy, which never failed to lift Dean's spirits, but seeing him lay depressed on the bed upset Dean.

Dean flopped onto the couch, putting his legs up on the brown, dusty coffee table in front of him as he turned on the TV. He watched an episode of Top Gear, before he turned the TV off again, realising that it was already dinner time. "Hey Sasquatch, do you want some dinner?" He asked, looking over the back of the couch at Sam, who had his head buried in his pillow.

Sam shook his head, "I'm not hungry." His voice was muffled as he didn't move his head from the pillow.

Dean let out a sigh as he made his way over to Sam's bed, sitting on the edge of it. Unlike Sam, Dean wasn't good at comforting people, because he wasn't very good with words, so he decided to cheer his brother up instead. "Then why don't you tell me about something good that's happened today?" He suggested,

"Nothing good happened." Sam grumbled,

Dean gave Sam a gentle pat on his back, "Come on, something good must have happened. You made a new nerdy friend, didn't you?" Dean asked,

Sam managed a weak smile, removing his tear stained face from the pillow to look at his brother, "Being a nerd isn't a bad thing." He defended, before using his hands to push himself up and reaching for his school bag. Sam had been focusing too much on the bad events of today, to remember the successful English lesson he'd had. He unzipped his bag and pulled out the English paper he'd written and had managed to get an 'A' on. "We did creative writing in English class and we had to write about what we did at Christmas." Sam explained as he handed his English paper over to Dean to read.

Dean's eyes scanned over the paper and the first thing he saw was the red letter 'A' written in neat handwriting at the top of the page. "You got an A in this?" He raised an eyebrow at Sam, his lips curving up into a proud smile when he saw Sam nod, "Nice one, Sammy." He praised, ruffling his brother's mop of hair before looking down at the paper.

A lump formed in Dean's throat as he read what Sam had written. It was nice to know that despite his mistakes Sam still looked up to him and considered him as a good brother. Dean smiled, but managed to contain the tears that had formed in his eyes through happiness. He gave Sam an affectionate pat on the back as he handed the papers back to him. “That's good, Sam. I see being a nerd has paid off.” He teased, which only earned him a punch in his shoulder by Sam.

“Shut up.” Sam held back as smile as he put the paper on the bedside table. Despite Dean's teasing he could tell that his brother was proud of him and that was what made Sam happy.

Now that Sam had cheered up, food was on his mind. It was already 6pm and they hadn't had dinner yet. Dean ended up cooking some beans on toast, which Sam had gotten bored of having, but this time he was too hungry to complain. After both of the boy's hunger were satisfied, they sat on the couch and watched a movie; Sam under a blanket and Dean leaning against the arm of the couch. Dean wasn’t sure what the movie was about so when Sam fell asleep halfway through it, Dean changed the channel to a car racing show. Dean went off into a trance, dreaming about one day owning his dad's Impala. He was fifteen, going on sixteen next January which would enable him to start having driving lessons. For Dean, being excited was an understatement.

Dean turned off the TV, putting the remote on the coffee table before turning to his brother, who was still fast asleep, cuddled into the blanket. When Sam was younger Dean would often carry him to bed, because he didn't want to wake him up, but now that Sam was older and was growing taller -at an alarming rate- Dean couldn't do that anymore. “Sammy, wake up.” He nudged Sam's side and when he didn't wake up an idea came to his mind. With a mischief in his eyes, Dean crept silently over to Sam’s bag, getting a black marker pen out of one of the inside pockets and returning to Sam. Dean knew how bad their pranks escalated and would often end with one getting mad at the other or their father shouting at them, but Dean couldn't resist it. Dean grinned, but managed to contain a laugh as he proceeded to draw glasses around Sam's eyes and a lightening bolt on his forehead.

Dean climbed off of the couch, putting the marker pen back into Sam's bag, before grabbing an old party popper from his own bag. What could be a better way to wake Sam up? He sniggered quietly to himself as he walked to the back of the couch.   
When Dean pulled the string, the party popper made an almighty bang before projecting different coloured string all over Sam. “Rise and shine, Sammy!” Dean shouted, making Sam leave the couch by a few inches and almost land on the floor.

“Dean!” Sam groaned, taking the string out of his hair and throwing it at his brother as hard as he could; he was oblivious to what Dean had drawn on his face.

“What? It got you up.” Dean laughed when the string missed him completely, “Nice shot.”

“Shut up.” Sam grumbled as he stomped passed Dean and into the bathroom.

Dean chuckled and flopped onto his bed, picking up a magazine as he awaited the inevitable look of disapproval and pure annoyance from his brother.

Sam unconsciously made a black smudge down one side of his face as he rubbing his eye. His black eye no longer hurting but when Sam caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror, he noticed that his eye was black for another reason. “Dean, what have you done to my face?” Sam yelled, which was soon followed by an eruption of laughter from the other room.

Dean grinned as he leaned against the doorway to the bathroom, watching Sam vigorously rubbing his forehead with soap and water, to get the marker off. “What's wrong? I thought you liked Harry Potter?” He teased.

“I do, but I can't go to school tomorrow looking like this!” Sam whined, before putting his hand under the cold tap and flicking water at Dean.

“Hey!” Dean exclaimed, putting his arm over his face as the water hit him. “Alright, I'll leave you alone, Potter boy.” Dean chuckled quietly as he returned to his bed. It wasn't long before Sam emerged from the bathroom, the scar gone from his forehead, but there was still a faint outline of the glasses. “Can you see any better?”

Sam rolled his eyes, “This isn't funny, Dean.” He mumbled as he sat down.   
Dean chuckled once more, “You need to lighten up, Sammy. Have some fun for a change.” A sudden vibrating could be heard from the bedside table and Dean reached over, picking up his phone when he saw his dad's number show up on the screen. He answered the call and raised the phone up to his ear, “Dad?”

The second he heard their dad's name mentioned, Sam's head turned to Dean. He watched his brother, unable to make out what the conversation was about and he raised an eyebrow at Dean after he heard him say, “Okay, we'll see you later.”

Dean put his phone into the side pocket of his jeans before seeing his brother's questioning look. “The hunt was finished early so dad will be back in a hour. He’s found another hunt a few states over and he wants us to go with him.” Dean informed Sam, excitement in his eyes as he started throwing his stuff into his bag. Dean enjoyed hunting, it gave him a rush of adrenaline which never failed to make him feel good.

Sam let out a sigh, running his hand through his hair as he sat on the edge of his bed. Strangely part of him was looking forward to school tomorrow, because he wanted to get to know his new friends, but now that was going to be ripped away from him. He dumped his bag onto his bed, slowly folding his clothes and putting them neatly at the bottom. He then dragged his feet to the bathroom, before trudging back to his bed and packing his toiletries into his bag. Sam didn't want to leave, especially since John was planning on taking them on a hunt. It would be nice to get away from bullies but hunting was the last thing Sam wanted to do.“Do we have to go on a hunt? Can't we stay at a motel?”

Dean bit his lip after hearing his brother's question. He didn't know John's intentions, but Dean knew better than to interrogate him about them; he must want them to come on a hunt for a reason. “I'm sorry, Sammy, but dad won't let you stay on your own.”

“Why not?” Sam questioned,

“I don- Because it's too dangerous.”

“But I can shoot. I know how to hit a target, I can run 10 miles. I can defend myself without you or dad there.” Sam argued, unable to stop his eyes from tearing up as he looked at his brother.

“Dad said he wants you to come, what do you want me to do about it?” Dean raised his voice, but only a little because he didn't want to upset Sam more. He didn't want Sam to come on a hunt either, but Dean knew better than to argue with their father, after all, he had to do as he said if he wanted to stay in his dad's good books. “I'm sorry, Sammy. Maybe one day you can stay on your own.” Dean assured him.

Sam nodded, turning his gaze to the ground, “I’ll miss Jimmy.” He muttered sadly,

Dean bit his lip once more; they never stayed in a town long enough for the boys to make friends. “I know, but dad might let us come back.” Dean suggested, even though, deep down Dean knew that their dad wouldn't want to waste time by returning to a town just so Sam could reunite with his friend.

“Okay..” Sam frowned as he zipped up his bag, only looking up when he heard the sound of a horn beeping outside. Sam lagged behind his brother as he walked to the car, throwing his back onto the backseat before getting into the car. As usual Dean rode shotgun, which left Sam in the back on his own. Sam didn't utter a word as he absentmindedly fiddled with the zip on his jacket, whilst staring out the window. He watched the scenery go, his eyes fixed on the school building as John drove past it. Sam turned his body and watched as it disappeared out of sight. He hated moving around all the time and it was worse now that he'd actually made friends, but to John, this had just been another town with another monster to kill. 

A/N: Hey guys!  
Sorry for taking ages to upload this chapter, I've been quite busy with school. I'll try to update regularly, but I might be slow from now until April because I have a lot of coursework to finish before then.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed it!


	28. The Young Marine

The next six hours were spent on the road. Sam was asleep with his head rested on the back of the seat, Dean was listening to music with his headphones on, meanwhile John was staring into space as he drove. In all honesty John wished that their lives could be different, but blinded by revenge, he was convinced that they didn’t have a choice. The majority of the Winchester’s lives consisted of long car journeys, damp motel rooms and hunting monsters; however that didn’t mean that they liked it. Even though Dean didn’t complain, he hated the fact that they didn’t spend much more than a month in the same town, as it made it difficult to get settled and once he had they would be on the move again. Sam felt the same way about this, but unlike Dean, he wasn’t afraid to complain; of course this would aggravate their father so Sam didn’t do it very often.

The engine cut out as the Impala pulled up at a gas station. They still had two hours worth of journey left, but John wanted to stop for some gas and he knew that his boys would be hungry, seeing as it was quite late in the morning. John reached over the back of the seat, nudging his youngest son’s knee. “Sam, come on.”

Sam rubbed his eyes sleepily, “What?” He groaned, not even having to open his eyes, as the smell of petrol lingering in the air alone was enough for him to figure out that they were at a gas station.

“I’m going to get some gas and you boys can use this money to grab some food.” John explained, handing Dean a spare wallet with some notes and coins inside, “Don’t spend it all in one go.”

Dean took off his headphones, stuffing his IPod and headphones into his bag. “I won’t. I only want some pie.” Dean asked,

“Really? It’s only 10am.” Sam pointed out, hearing the driver’s side door slam which indicated that their father had gotten out to fill the gas tank up.

“Yes, it’s never too early for pie.” Dean defended, with a slight smirk on the corner of his lips. He then handed the wallet to Sam, “Why don’t you be a good little nerd and get the food for us?” Dean suggested, as he was too comfy to move at the moment, plus he wanted to have some alone time so he could listen to his music without the headphones.

Sam clenched his jaw and narrowed his eyes at his brother, not looking amused at all, but he took the wallet anyway. “Fine.” Sam shuffled over to the door, opening it and about to get out when he heard Dean speak again,

“And Sam, don’t forget the pie.” He reminded him,

Sam rolled his eyes, “I know.” Sam closed the door, putting the wallet into his pocket as he entered the store at the gas station. The gas station didn’t sell much freshly cooked produce. It was mostly packeted food, which had been brought in on the back of a lorry; however, there was a few baskets containing fresh fruit and a small bakery counter towards the back of the shop. Sam picked up one of the plastic baskets, used for shopping, and walked over to a shelf where the pies were. They didn’t have a wide selection; there were apple pies, cherry pies, meat pies and blueberry pies. Sam moved his hand to pick up an apple pie when something caught his eye. The announcements were being sold next to the pies and on the shelf was a small packet of extremely hot chilli powder. A smirk formed on Sam’s lips as an idea came to his mind. It was the perfect way to get Dean back for the prank he’d pulled on him back at the motel.  
He subtly glanced out of the window, and when he noticed that Dean was preoccupied by dancing in the front seat of the Impala, Sam grabbed the packet of Chilli powder from the shelf. He also put an apple pie into the basket, along with some bananas, granola boars, Lucky Charms, six bottles of water and three hot sausage rolls from behind the bakery counter. After he’d paid for the items at the checkout, Sam hid behind one of the aisles and poured the whole packet of chilli powder into the pie. Sam then threw away the empty packet and carried the shopping back out to the Impala.

When Sam returned he couldn’t see his father anywhere near the car, but he soon got distracted by something else. Dean was sat in the front seat, blasting ‘Eye of the Tiger’ at full volume whilst pumping his fists in the air, along to the beat of the music. Sam chuckled quietly, before banging on the roof of the Impala, making his brother jump and watching Dean in amusement as he fumbled around with his IPod to turn the music off.

“Having fun there?” Sam teased as he slid into the backseat.

Dean scratched the back of his neck, “What? It’s a good song.” He defended, before quickly changing the conversation, “Anyway, did you get the pie?” Dean asked, not suspecting anything when he saw Sam grinning at him, as he just assumed that he was still grinning at catching him dancing.

“Yes.” Sam reached into the bag, pulling out the transparent plastic container and handing it to Dean.

Dean’s face lit up and he smiled from ear to ear as he lifted the lid off the pie. “This is what I’m talking about. You’re my favourite brother, Sammy.”

“I’m your only brother.” Sam chuckled quietly,

Dean shrugged, before taking the plastic knife that was attached to the top of the containing and cutting into the pie. “Apple. That’s my favourite!” He announced; however the second he took a bite it was like a fire had erupted in his mouth. Dean dropped the container on his knee, reaching into the bag and downing a whole bottle of water. “What the hell?!” He exclaimed in horror, his mouth still burning, even though he’d drank a whole bottle of water.

“P-Payback.” Sam spluttered out, holding his stomach which hurt from how hard he was laughing.

Dean was fanning his mouth with his hand, trying to cool it down, as he narrowed his eyes into a glare at Sam, “How could you ruin a perfectly good pie?” He asked dramatically.

Sam chuckled, “Revenge.” He said simply, grinning from ear to ear; he couldn’t feel more proud of himself for getting revenge on his brother. Yes, Dean would be mad at him, but this reaction was definitely worth it.

The laughter only stopped when the door creaked open, and John clambered into the driver’s seat, a smell of latte filling the air as he placed a red cup in the drink’s holding between the seats.

Dean gave Sam one last glare, before turning around, ignoring the amused grin on Sam’s face, as he knew better than to argue in front of their father.

Sam chuckled quietly to himself, before reaching his hand into the plastic grocery bag and pulling out a delicious smelling savoury, which made Dean's stomach rumble loudly. “You can have one of these if you want?” He offered, “I promise I haven't put chilli powder in this one.” He smiled, as he handed the bag to Dean.

Dean opened the paper bag that contained a sausage roll, staring down at it as if he didn't trust it. He then picked it up, sniffing it to check for the smell of chilli, and once he was certain that it was safe, he took a bite. “It's good, but I would've preferred pie.” Dean's spoke, his voice muffled due to the amount of food in his mouth.

Hearing his eldest son speak, John turned his head in his direction, “Be careful you don't get crumbs over the seats.” He warned, his voice firm and showing no sign of amusement over Dean talking with his mouth full.

Dean turned around, so that he was now facing the front window rather than Sam. The last thing he wanted was to get on the wrong side of their father, so he just sat there, silently eating his sausage roll, whilst keeping his hand under his chin to prevent himself from dropping any food on the seat. Dean devoured the savoury quickly, throwing both his and Sam's rubbish in one of the black trash cans that were scattered around the parking lot at the gas station.

Finally the Winchesters were ready to set off; however, before they did there was one last thing that John wanted to do. He reached for his bag that was at Dean's feet, pulling out a folder of papers. The folder contains different newspaper articles, police reports and notes that John had written down. “Dean, I want you to look through this and using my journal you have to figure out what kind of monster we might be dealing with.” John explained, as he handed the folder to Dean.

Over the past couple of years, Dean had gotten used to helping his father with research, even though he hated it; he would much rather be fighting the monster than finding information on it. “Yes, sir.” Dean replied, obediently opening the folder and taking out the newspaper articles. Glancing back at his brother, Dean grabbed some of the newspapers and handed them to Sam, “Hey Sammy, why don't you read through some of these like a good little nerd?”

Sam narrows his eyes into a glare, as he took the paper; however, behind his annoyance there was a hint of fear, “Do I have to? I've never done this before.” He spoke quietly, his stomach doing somersaults at simply the thought of doing something wrong.

“Think of it like...riding a bike. You'll get the hang of it.” Dean suggested, turning to face the front of the car after Sam had taken the papers from him.

“Okay..” Sam muttered, as he slowly took the papers from Dean. The Impala engine spluttered as it set off, and Sam his eyebrows, meanwhile staring down at one of the newspaper cuttings. The words, ‘Three Missing and One Found Dead.’ were written in bold at the top of the page. Beneath it was an image, containing the outline of a body, along with police tape and another image of a brunette girl next to it. He read through the rest of the article, fear building up inside him as he contemplated which monster it could be. “Okay, so get this, a group of four kids went missing in a forest off the edge of Ohio. According to this, they all attended the same campsite. Hocking Hills State Park.” Sam explained, his stomach doing somersaults when he realised that the kids were around his age.

“Was there anything found at the scene?” John asked from the driver’s seat, and Sam looked down, scanning over the paper before turning to his father again,

“No, sir.”

“Okay. Well, I say we head there. It’s only a couple of hours drive from here.” John explained, and the Impala’s engine roared as John pressed down on the gas pedal, accelerating ahead and reaching the campsite in just under two hours. John often drove fast, because he didn’t want to waste from; he didn’t care that he was travelling over the speed limit.

The car rocked as it travelled through the wooden archway, that had sculptures of bears at either side. Dust flew everywhere, covering the bottom of the Impala in a layer of light brown, dry mud, making it obvious that it hadn’t rained for a while. Through the gaps in the oak trees, the sun could just about be seem fighting to break through the clouds. Over the speed ramps there was a wooden cabin. In the window there was a list of ticket prices and activities that were going on throughout the camp. John drove up to the cabin, parking up outside. It was clear by the small amount of cars in the parking lot, that the kidnappings and murder had sparked fear in people.

Once the engine cut out, Sam climbed out of the car, soon to be joined by his brother. John, however, was fumbling around, looking for something in the glove compartment. Sam rested his hand on the roof, lowering his head to try and see what his father was doing. He was now holding a cardboard box, that contained several leather wallets, some of which had different coloured badges or symbols on the side. Sam knew that his father often posed as an FBI agent to solve a case, but if he was doing that then he surely would be wearing a pristine, black suit. “Dad, what are you doing?” Sam asked the second John climbed out of the car.

“We’re going to pose as the US wildlife service.” John explained simply, making his way around to the back of the car and opening the trunk. The trunk was filled with all different kinds of weapons, ranging from knives and machetes, to guns, and even a grenade launcher, which John had kept since he was a marine.

“What about us?” Sam asked, as their father usually gave them a badge or told them that they had to come up with some kind of lie, regarding who they are.

“I’m going to tell them that you boys are on work experience.” John unzipped an emerald green duffle bag, pulling out a green army jacket. A small yet sad smile formed on his face as he took off his usual leather jacket and proceeded to slip his arms into the army jacket. “I’ve missed this thing.” He announced under his breath,

“Did you wear that when you were in the marines?” Sam asked curiously,

“Yes. I’ve kept it just in case.” John frowned. Despite the jacket holding good memories of him being in the marines, it also held some sad memories. It was the jacket he’d worn when he’d met Mary. No matter how long ago it was, the ex-marine could never forget that day:

**** ***** ***** A young marine rushed through the streets of Lawrence, Kansas, darting through alleyways and past groups of people. Having heard that there were only a few tickets left for tonight’s showing of ‘The Exorcist’, John’s friends were counting on him to get the last of the tickets. John loved horror movies. He found them intriguing and enjoyed the adrenaline that fear gave him. Of course, ten years down the line, John’s opinion on that would be sure to change.

Not looking where he was going, John collided with something -or rather someone- landing on his back in the middle of the pavement. When he looked up, the first thing he saw was a woman standing over him, her eyebrows knitted together, seeming concerned for John. She looked to be in her early twenties, much John himself. Her wavy, blonde hair sat just above her shoulders; her blues glistened under the Autumn sun; she was wearing a white blouse with a brown jacket opened over the top; and worn out jeans, that had a rip on the knee. John stared at her for a moment. She was beautiful, and he had definitely fallen head over heels for her -literally.

“I’m so sorry! I wasn’t looking where are I was going!” She exclaimed, holding out her hand to help the marine to his feet, “Are you okay?”

John felt a warm, tingly feeling burst through him when he took the girl’s hand, standing up and brushing off the leaves that had somehow attached themselves to his clothes. “I’m fine, better now actually.” The corner of John’s mouth curved up into a smile, and he leaned his arm against a nearby lamp post, looking down at the girl.

“How about I tell you my name before you flirt with me?” The girl blushed, her eyes locking John’s brown ones.

John shrugged, “Sounds like a good idea. I’m John Winchester.”

“Mary Campbell.” Mary smiled shyly, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear.

John nodded, “Nice name.”

Mary’s cheeks suddenly grew warmer and she diverted her eyes away from John, “Um..Thanks.” She muttered, before eventually looking up after a few seconds, “I’m still sorry about knocking you to the floor.”

“It’s alright. Hey, if you really wanna make it up to me then there’s a coffee shop down the street. We could go there? Drinks are on me.” He smirked,

Mary rolled her eyes, but John could tell that she was struggling to hold back a smile, “Is that your way of asking me on a date?”

John shrugged, “If you wanna put it that way.” He smiled when he heard Mary let out a quiet giggle.

Mulroney’s Coffee Shop was no more than a five minute walk away from the movie theatre. It was a coffee shop, with very little people inside. It had wooden tables with comfy chairs. The wallpaper was a dark brown, which with the dull lighting and fire at the far end of the shop, made it look cosy. There was also a small bar towards the back of the coffee shop, where you could order a selection of hot drinks and cakes.

John politely held the door open for Mary and he lead her over to the counter next to the bar. On the counter there was a wide selection of cakes, including chocolate cake, shortbread pieces, fruit cake and lemon drizzle cake. “Choose what you want. Don’t worry about the price.” John told Mary, as he got his leather wallet out of his pocket. On the wallet there was a badge that he’d earned during his time in the Marines.

“You’re a Marine?” Mary asked out of curiosity,

“That I am.” John smiled proudly, as he hoped that that would impress Mary more.

“That’s cool.” Mary smiled back, before turning to the waitress behind the counter, “Hello. Could I have a latte and a slice of lemon drizzle cake?” She asked politely,

John leaned his arm against the counter, “Make that two coffees and a slice of chocolate cake.”

“Certainly.” the waitress smiled, before proceeding to carry out their order.

After paying and carrying both of their drinks and cakes over to a table by the window, John took his seat, his eyes on Mary as she sat down opposite him.

“Thank you for this.” Mary spoke after taking a sip of her coffee,

“There’s no need to thank me, sweetheart.” John smiled, pouring a sachet of sugar into his coffee and stirring it. “So tell me, what do you do for a living?”

“I..I used to move around a lot with my dad. He worked away, but now he’s staying in Lawrence. I haven’t found a job yet.” Mary explained, tactfully leaving out some information, that John failed to pick up on.

“What job did your dad do?”

“He..he used to be a salesman.” Mary lied, twirling her hair around her finger to make it look like she was hesitating with her words because she was nervous. “What about your dad?”

John’s smile faded and he stared down at the steam that was coming out of his coffee and steaming up the window next to him. “My dad left me when I was young…” John sighed,

“Oh, I’m sorry.” Mary sympathised,

“It’s okay. I’m not upset, just mad at him for leaving.” John confessed, his eyes travelling up Mary’s arm and to the top of her wrist, where he noticed a silver bracelet with charms on, “What’s that?” He used his head to signal to the bracelet.

Mary placed her cup of coffee on the table, self-consciously moving her sleeve over the charm bracelet. “Just a bracelet my dad brought me for my birthday.” She shrugged,

“Mind if I have a look?” John asked; he saw no harm in asking that question, however Mary seemed hesitant to let him look at it, “I promise I won’t get it dirty.” He wiped his hands on a napkin, “See? Free from chocolate.” He joked,

Mary smiled, “Fine.” She rolled up her sleeve and held her arm out so that John could see the bracelet.

John tilted his head to get a better look at the bracelet. On it there was a weird looking symbol that had two upside down triangles intertwined with each other, a pentagram, a cross and a few other symbols that were linked with religion. “You’re religious?”

Mary scoffed, shaking her head, “No. It-it’s kind of hard to explain.”

John placed his elbows on the table, resting his head in his hands and looking straight ahead at Mary, “I’m listening.”

Mary’s smile faded as she struggled to come up with another convincing lie. She didn’t want to tell John the truth. She didn’t want him to know that the horror movies that played in the movie theatre were real. “It’s really not that interesting. I just like the symbols.” She attempted to explain, “Anyway, you never told me why you were in such a hurry.” She tactfully changed the conversation,

John shrugged, “Right. Well, my friends were kinda counting on me to get the last few tickets to ‘The Exorcist’” John explained,

“The Exorcist?” Mary raised an eyebrow. Great, a guy who enjoyed horror movies, she thought to herself.

“Yeah. We’ve got a couple of weeks off from work so we decided to go see the greatest horror movie of all time.”

Mary rolled her eyes, “Horror movies aren’t that great.”

“You not a fan of horror?” John bit his lip,

“No, but I’m not saying you can’t be a fan. I’m just saying, I don’t like them.”

“And that’s why you have a Devil charm on your bracelet.” John teased, trying to bring back the light mood that was in the air before.

Mary chuckled quietly, “It’s not a Devil’s charm. It’s actually a charm that protects you against demons.” She explained, accidentally letting slip one of the reasons behind the charms.

“Oh really?” John teased further,

“Yes, really.” Mary giggled.

John was soon pulled out of the flashback when he felt his youngest son tugging on the sleeve of his army jacket. “Dad!” John blinked several times, holding back the tears that had unknowingly formed in his eyes, as he pulled himself together. He couldn’t be getting emotional on a hunt. “Yes, Sam?” John asked, feeling slightly disorientated after the flashback.

“Can we go in the cabin now?” Sam asked, bored of standing outside.

“Are you okay, dad?” Unlike Sam, Dean had seen their father go off into some kind of trance and had noticed that tears in his eyes.

“I’m fine, Dean.” John replied, which was the obvious lie, but the way he saw it was, that you need to lie about your emotions to keep a clear head, because in the hunting life, there were loads of ways that things could go wrong.


	29. Blamed

The cabin looked just as cosy from the inside. Despite it being set out like the entrance to an office, with the desk in front of the door and a stack containing several leaflets, there were vending machines and comfy sofas to sit on. Dean glanced over at them, getting a sudden urge to run and leap onto the cushions, like any other child would, but Dean chose to remain where he was standing, because he knew that their father would disapprove of any childish behavior on a case.

Dean stood at his father’s side and he watched John show the fake badge to the woman at the desk. “US wildlife service. We’ve come to investigate the bear attacks. We want to make sure this area is safe for other civilians campers.” John explained, which wasn’t a complete lie, because the Winchesters were here to keep as many people safe as they could.

The woman pushed her glasses up her nose as she looked over the top of the desk at John, taking a look at his badge before saying, “We only have one family camping here at the moment, but they leave in the morning. You’re welcome to look around the campsite if you wish. There’s a map on the wall.” The woman signalled over to a large map, that had been nailed to the far wall, next to a row of tall windows, that overlooked the forest.

John put the fake badge into the inside pocket of his jacket, “Thank you.” He nodded, before he made his way over to the map.

Dean, however, had gotten distracted by the leaflets, on the rack next to the door. Some leaflets explained about activities and facilities in the campsite, whereas some informed the campers about events that were happening nearby. A mischievous smirk found its way onto Dean’s face when he saw a leaflet advertising a circus. He still needed to get Sam back for the prank he’d played on him in the car. Sam was terrified of clowns and the fact that the leaflet had a clown’s face on the front of it, Dean thought it would be perfect.

Dean subtly folded the leaflet and slipped it into his pocket, before he finally joined his father and Sam at the map. “Do we know where the murders took place?” Dean asked quietly, as he made sure that nobody except for John or Sam could hear what he said.

“No…” John trailed off, when he noticed that an area was had been marked ‘Out of Bounds’. Usually it wouldn’t be suspicious, but the fact that it had been clearly marked on the map in permanent ink, that was bold and looked like it had only been marked on recently, made John question it. He turned to the main desk, where the woman was looking through a folder of papers, “Excuse me. Could you tell me why this area has been marked out of bounds?” He questioned.

“Of course.” The woman pushed her chair back, before she made her way over to the map on the wall. “Oh yes, there’s nothing but forest there. It can get quite dark at night, so I advise campers to stay away from it.” The woman explained.

Dean suddenly felt the need to ask something, so with a burst of confidence he said, “Is that where the bears came from?” Obviously he knew that it wasn’t a bear, but he wondered if there was another reason why the woman had banned campers from venturing into that area of the woods.

“Well, I have heard a lot of growing coming from that part.” The woman confessed, and Dean glanced at their father, as if he was expecting a praise or at least a proud look for helping with the case, but as he should expected, there was nothing. Dean let out a small sigh, as he turned his gaze back to the woman, trying to focus on the case rather than the lack of praise.

“Where was the body found?” John asked,

“On the outskirts of the out of bounds area. That’s the main reason why I stopped the campers from going there.” The woman eventually admitted,

John nodded, “Okay. Thank you for your help.” He said, before he signalled to Sam and Dean to follow him to the door.

“My pleasure.” The woman said politely, and Sam gave her a smile as he followed their father out of the door. Sam wasn’t sure why they had to leave so quickly, before nothing made sense to him so far.

“Dad, why did we have to leave?” Sam questioned, as he followed their father back over to the Impala.  
“Because I’m going to the police station to find out more about the body.” John explained,

“What do you think it is?” Sam continued his questions, which only earned him a hard look from their father and Dean could tell that if Sam didn’t stop, then John would be sure to snap.

“I don’t know yet.” John replied simply, before he climbed into the driver’s seat.

Sam clambered into the backseat, “Are Dean and I coming with you?”   
John let out a sigh, “No. I’m dropping you boys off at a motel.”

“Why? I thought we were working on this hunt with you?” Sam continued,

“You are. I’ll be coming to the motel after. Now can you stop asking questions and just go along with me on this?” John snapped,

Sam lowered his head, “Yes, sir.” He spoke, then everything went quiet and the only sound that could be heard was the Impala’s engine as John started driving.

Sitting in the front, Dean glanced behind him at Sam. He felt bad when John snapped and upset Sam, because Dean knew that his brother was only curious and unlike him, Sam didn’t know when to stop questioning John, as he wanted to find out as much as he could about what was going on.

Thankfully the motel was only a ten minute drive from the campsite, so the uncomfortable silence that had surrounded the Winchesters didn’t last for long. After he’d gotten out of the car, Sam grabbed his bag from the trunk, swinging it over his shoulder as he made his way into the motel room that their father had just booked them into. It was nothing special. In fact, it was just like any other motel room. Two queen-sized beds, a mini-fridge, a TV and a table with some chairs tucked underneath. Sam dumped his bag down on the bed that was closest to the window. There was a certain dampness to the air and a smell of must. Sam hated it, and he would much prefer it if John had dropped them off at Bobby’s and kept them out of the hunt; that’s what Sam missed. The smell of fresh laundry, the cooking, the feeling of sleeping in a place where the plaster wasn’t peeling off the walls and not to mention the fact that it was one of the only places where the brothers could be children.

Sam opened his mouth to ask another question, but closed it again when fear overwhelmed him; he didn’t want to be shouted at by John again, so he remained quiet. He wanted to know how long they would be staying at this motel, but he guessed that their father would give the same answer he does every other time Sam has asked: ‘However long the job takes.’

“Dean, I’ve left some money on the counter if you want to get some food. Don’t spend it all.” John instructed and, like always, Dean nodded,

“Yes sir.” He replied obediently, as he took the money from his father and stuffed it into his wallet.

“Okay. I’ll see you boys later.” John made his way over to the door,   
Dean nodded, “Bye, dad.” He then watched as his father left the motel and he soon heard the Impala’s engine fade off into the distance.

Dean became hungry about an hour after their father left, so he looked over at Sam, who was sitting on his bed, reading a book. “Sam, are you hungry?” Dean asked, leaning over the back of the couch to look at his brother.

Sam lowered the book, “Yes. Did dad leave us any food?” He asked. Sam hadn’t been paying much attention to what John said before he left.

“No, but he gave us some money. I can go to the store, if you’re hungry?” Dean suggested,

Sam nodded, giving his brother the best puppy dog eyed look he could, “Yes please.”

“Okay, just stop with the puppy dog eyes.” Dean chuckled, picking his wallet up from the table, before he made his way over to the door. “I’ll see you later then, Sammy. Remember to keep the door locked and put a line of salt at the door and windows.” Dean instructed, unintentionally copying the routine his father went through before he left.

“Yes, Dean.” Sam sighed.

Dean left the motel. He put his hands in his pocket as he made his way to the store, humming along to an AC/DC song that was stuck in his head, that was when his hand brushed against a piece of paper. Dean pulled it out of his pocket, noticing the circus leaflet he’d picked up at the cabin earlier in the day. Dean smirked to himself when an idea came to mind; this would be the perfect time to use it to scare Sam.

Thankfully, the store was only a few blocks away, so Dean was able to make it back just when the sun was beginning to set. The venetian blinds, hanging at the motel window, weren’t closed , so Dean could see inside enough to get a clear vision of Sam. The little nerd was in the same place where Dean had left him; sitting on his bed, reading a book.

Dean silently creeped over to the motel room, keeping his hood up so that Sam wouldn’t see him. He placed the bag of shopping down on the floor, before getting the leaflet out of his pocket and folding it so that only the clown’s face and the dark background was showing. Dean sniggered to himself, as he knocked on the glass, using his hand to press the picture of the clown against the window. Nothing happened, so Dean knocked again. After a few seconds, Dean heard a scream that was followed by the crashing of pots and pans. Dean burst into hysterics, still laughing as he entered the motel. Sam had turned off all of the lights and Dean could just about make about somebody shaking under some blankets. Dean made sure Sam could hear the lock click on the door as he closed it, and he had to hold back a laugh when he heard a whimper coming from underneath the blankets.

Dean smirked as he made his way over to Sam’s bed, struggling to peal back the blankets due to the tight grip Sam had on them. “G-go away. I-I’ll shoot you!” Sam threatened through fear,

“Sammy, it’s only me.” Dean chuckled, “You can’t be scared of your big brother.” He teased.

Sam poked his head out of the blankets, quickly switching on the bedside lap and looking around the motel room, “B-but there was a clown.” He whimpered,

Dean chuckled, “It wasn’t a clown. It was this.” He held up the leaflet, showing Sam the picture of the clown, before looking over at the smashed plate and the pan on the floor, “What happened there?”

Sam diverted his eyes away from his brother, “I panicked when I saw the clown and I was going to pour salt on the window sill when I slipped.” He confessed quietly; he felt ashamed of himself for overreacting.

“Wow.” Dean grinned, before he noticed his brother looking fearfully at their surroundings, “There aren’t any clowns, Sammy. I promise, I was just messing with you.” Dean reassured him, startled when Sam leaped up and tackled him onto the bed behind him.

“I hate you!” Sam exclaimed, giving Dean a playful punch on the arm,

“I love you too, little brother.” Dean joked, flipping Sam over, before reaching across the bed for a pillow.   
Sam covered his face with his arm and let out a laugh after Dean hit him around the face with the pillow. Sam scrambled to get a pillow, and proceeded to hit his brother with it.

“Oh, so you want to play that game?” Dean smirked, “It’s on.” He hit Sam again, and before anybody knew it, both of the boys were having a pillow fight in the motel.

“You’re such a jerk.” Sam grinned as he hit his brother.

“What are you talking about? I’m awesome!” Dean smiled more as he fell onto his back, using the pillow as a shield when Sam hit him,

“Yeah, sure you are.” Sam replied sarcastically. Of course neither of the brothers meant to hurt the other with these insults, it was simply a game to them and their way of telling the other that they loved each other.   
Sam was about to hit Dean again when the lock clicked on the door and he froze. Dean climbed off Sam, only to meet their father’s annoyed gaze at the door. It was obvious that John had noticed the smashed plate and pans over the floor and not to mention the messy bad where the pillow fight had taken place.

“What’s going on in here?” John demanded, and both of the brothers hung their heads; Dean felt guilty for not cleaning up the mess and letting things get out of hand, whereas Sam was ashamed of himself for being so scared of the ‘clown’.

“I’m sorry, sir, I-” Sam began, but was soon cut off by Dean,

“It was my fault. I played a prank on Sam and started a pillow fight.” Dean interrupted. He always took the blame for things that weren’t even his fault, because he knew how scary their father could get when he’s angry; therefore he didn’t want Sam to be exposed for that.

Sam glanced at Dean, knowing what was about to come next and no matter what he was powerless to prevent it.

“Dean, I am very disappointed with you. You don’t have time to mess about, we’re working a case here. I know Sam’s still a child, but you’re not. You’re fifteen, grow up.” John snapped, his tone deep and intimidating, but Dean simply sat there, taking the blows that John was sending his way. “Have you boys had dinner?” John sighed when both of the brothers shook their head, “I told you to make dinner. I gave you an order and you didn’t follow it. You know this case is only going to get delayed longer!” John continued, oblivious to how much he was hurting his oldest son, as his mind was purely set on the case.

“I’m sorry, sir. I’ll make us some dinner.” Dean spoke quietly, avoiding his father’s gaze.

“No. You’re going to clean up this mess while I make Sam some beans on toast.” John ordered,

“But dad, there’s only a small can of beans in the bag.” Dean replied, instantly regretting talking back when he saw a look of fury in John’s eyes,

“Then you can share! Seriously Dean, are you really that stupid?” John snapped and ignored the fact that his loud tone had made Sam jump,

“Or I can clean up while Dean makes dinner.” Sam spoke up. He hated it when his brother got into trouble, especially when it was over something as petty as this.

Dean shook his head, “I’m not hungry anymore. Sam had have the whole can.” Dean murmured which was a lie. Dean was starving. He had even brought a pizza for the three of them to share, but he daren’t tell John that right now, because the pizza would take longer to cook than the beans and Dean knew that their father would want to be on the road again soon.

John didn’t say another word and he began making dinner for Sam; meanwhile, Dean was knelt on the floor, cleaning up the broken pieces of the plate. He wasn’t angry with Sam, because he had taken the blame willingly, but he didn’t feel like talking right now, so when he saw Sam knelt at his side, Dean stayed silent.

“Dean, are you okay? You should’ve let me take the blame.” Sam whispered,

“I’m fine, Sammy. D-don’t worry.” Was all Dean replied, but the slight break in his voice, hinted at him being far from okay, but just like he always did, Dean buried his feelings and focused on the task at hand. He would only make John madder if he started crying right now.

“But you’re not. Dad shouldn’t say those things to you, Dean. I know you try your best. You always take care of me.” Sam continued, his tone soft which brought Dean some comfort.   
Dean nodded, “Thanks Sam, but honestly, I’ll be okay.” After cleaning up, Dean emptied what was left of the broken plate into the trash can, and proceeded to tidy his bed, putting the pillows and blankets in their proper place.

“No. You should stand up for yourself.” Sam replied in a loud whisper.

“Sam, leave it. I said I’m fine.” Dean spoke firmly, and, in response, all Sam did was lower his head.

“Okay.” Sam muttered. He hadn’t meant to start an arguement with Dean, but he knew his brother so well that it was easy to tell that their father’s harsh words had gotten to him; Sam just wanted his brother to be okay.

Sam was at the table the second John called him for dinner. He didn’t want to dawdle and be at the receiving end of one of John’s outbursts.

Whilst Sam was eating, Dean finished tidying up and spent the remainder of the time polishing the silver gun his father had given him for his birthday. He polished it, even when the gun didn’t need polishing anymore. Dean often went into a trance after an argument with his father. His father’s words would replay through Dean’s head. He often doubted his own ability to take care of Sam. He believed that Sam was stronger, better than he was, and he feared the day when Sam wouldn’t need him anymore. The day where he could take care of himself and no longer needed Dean to protect him from the horrors of the night.

Dean ran his hand down the front of his face and he placed his gun and the polishing cloth back into the duffle bag that was next to him on the bed. Sam had long since finished eating and was deep into reading a book on his own bed. Dean looked behind him, only to notice John staring blankly out of the window. Pushing his own sadness aside, Dean hesitantly made his way over to John. “Are you okay, dad?” He asked, standing with a distance between him and John, worried that he would snap again.

“I’m fine, Dean.” John replied and Dean relaxed when he heard his father’s calm tone, no longer displaying anger, “I was just thinking about your mother, that’s all.” He added.

Dean nodded, “I’m sure she’s happy, dad and we’ll find the thing that killed her.” Dean placed his hand gently on John’s shoulder. John had told Dean stories about Mary, such as the day they met, their wedding day and the many times Mary would read to Dean at night and make him his favourite dinners. Dean didn’t have many memories of his mother, but he would give anything to have her here right now.

“I know, Dean. I know.” John’s voice cracked slightly, but he didn’t let down the strong mask he had put up. “Anyway, we have a case to work.” John added, giving Dean a pat on the shoulder as he passed him. Dean followed John over to the table, where the leather journal was open, surrounded by newspaper clippings and other papers scattered around. “I went to the morgue and apparently there have been more murders. Another 5 to be exact, all over the past month.” John explained.

“Were there any connections between the victims?” Dean asked,   
John handed a folder to Dean and Dean opened it, noticing a picture of a girl and below were her autopsy results. “Her body was drained of blood…” Dean read quietly, before looking through the rest of the autopsy reports and that was when something suddenly dawned on him. “We’re dealing with a vampire.”

A/N: Hey guys!   
I hope you enjoyed the new chapter. There might be a twist in the next chapter or the one after ;)

Thanks for reading!


	30. Taken

Dean was right. They were dealing with a vampire -or rather a nest of them- and John knew just where to look. He took the boys back down to the campsite, where the current the murder took place. The reports for each of the victims had stated that all murders happened within a five mile radius of the out of bounds area of the campsite. 

John parked the Impala on a dirt track to the side of the main entrance. He didn’t want to park in the parking lot, because the woman in the office would be sure to see them and John didn’t want anybody else to be involved in this. He felt dubious about bringing his sons along with him as it was. 

Dean followed his father around to the back of the Impala. He smiled as he watched John lift up the lid on the trunk, revealing a selection of weapons below. John brought out two machetes and a gun, that was contained bullets filled with dead-man's blood. “I thought vampires were extinct until now.” John explained, as he handed the smaller machete over to Dean, “To kill it you need to use this to decapitate it.” He continued, before he handed Sam a silver gun, “This gun is loaded with bullets. The bullets contain dead man’s blood, which is poisonous to vampires. It’ll slow them down, but don’t waste them, because we’re on a limited supply.” 

Sam nodded as he took the gun from his father, “Yes, sir.” He replied obediently. His hand shook as he made sure the safety was on the gun, before he put it into the waistband of his jeans. Sam had never hunted a vampire before, he didn’t even know they existed until he had an argument about it with John on the way to the campsite. Sam was able to tell that John was disclosing information from him, so he didn’t stop pestering him with questions until he told them everything. 

“I want you boys to stay behind me at all times. Vamps are dangerous and fast, if you aren’t an experienced hunter.” John’s explanation made Sam’s stomach do a somersault, his cheeks turning pale, 

“C-can’t we just wait in the car?” Sam asked quietly, wanting to do the hunt less and less, 

“No, you’re coming. This is your life now, and if we’re to find the thing that killed your mother then you have to be ready, and that means you have to know how to hunt.” John explained firmly and Sam lowered his head.

Picking up on his brother’s fear, Dean placed his hand on his shoulder, “You’ll be okay, Sammy. No vampire’s going to come near you with your awesome but scary big brother around.” Dean partially joked, before he ruffled Sam’s hair, causing Sam to hit his hand away, 

“You’re not that scary.” Sam replied, 

“But I’m awesome.” Dean grinned, his ears poking up at the sides as he did so. 

Sam rolled his eyes, “Sure you are.” He joked, sarcasm in his voice. He then punched Dean’s shoulder gently, before he began to follow John through a gap in the treeline. 

John had decided to sneak through the surrounding bushes to get to the out of bounds area, because he didn’t want anybody to see them and get suspicious. Dean looked down, the leaves crunching under his feet as he walked on them. The closer they got to the out of bounds area, the creepier things got. There was a derelict treehouse that had half fallen from one of the trees, the gap in the trees was getting smaller, only allowing a small bit of light to get through and the blood stained leaves and branches on the floor implied that there had been a struggle. 

“I'm guessing this is where the campers ended up as vampire chow.” Dean pointed out. 

John took his machete out of the holster that was around his waist. “This is definitely the appropriate hunting ground for a vampire.” John agreed, as he took in his surroundings. 

“Let's see if we can find the nest.” John suggested, when his foot suddenly brushed against something hard. He looked down and that's when he noticed a silver ring. He brushed the dirt off it after picking it up, and his expression dropped when he recognised it. It was the ring he had given to Mary just before an incident with her father. 

***FLASHBACK***

“But dad, he's nice!” Mary argued, tears in her eyes, threatening to spill over as she looked up at her father, whose broad build was intimidating as he towered over her. Mary’s father was named Samuel Campbell. He was a hunter, much like Mary was supposed to be. 

“I said no, Mary! You are not dating a Winchester!” Samuel yelled, his menacing tone echoing off the walls, 

Mary groaned and spun on her heels to face John, who was standing behind her, staring at the floor. “John, I am so sorry.” Mary whispered, tears falling down her cheeks as she took the young marine’s hand. 

John gave Mary's hand a gentle squeeze, “It's alright. I guess I'll see you around.” John murmured sadly, “It was nice while it lasted.” Was all John said before he left.   
What happened the next day only crushed John's heart more. He was walking through the park, taking the long way to work when he saw Mary sitting next to another male on a bench. There were trees surrounding them and it would be the perfect setting for one of those cheesy romance films, John thought to himself. He watched from afar, trying to read Mary's expression to know what was going on. The man had light brown hair, that was stuck up at the front, brown eyes that seemed to be fixed on Mary and genuinely looked handsome. He was wearing a black leather jacket over the top of a black t-shirt and jeans, with large rips at the knee. There was also a tattoo poking out of the top of his shirt and travelling halfway up his neck. John didn't like the look of him at all, and it gave him an urge to protect Mary from him.   
He was about to go over to him, when he saw Mary pulling a small, square box out of her pocket. Inside the box there was something familiar, something that John could easily recognise from afar. It was the ring John had given Mary the previous day. As well as pain, anger built up inside John, before he grabbed a stone and threw it as hard as he could at the boy.

Mary shrieked. She then took the boy's face in her hands, after she noticed the growing, bruise covered lump on his forehead. “That looks sore...Are you okay?” She asked, concern present in her voice. 

“Y-yeah.” The boy hesitated, suddenly catching a glimpse of John out of the corner of his eye.   
Mary looked to where the boy was now looking only to find John stood there with a smirk in the corner of his lips. She pulled away from the boy and stomped over to John, who lowered his head upon seeing the look of fury on her face.

“What do you think you’re doing?” She questioned, her arms folded across her chest. 

“It’s nice to know that you like the ring I gave you.” John spat harshly, as he did everything he could to hide the pain in his voice. 

“John, it isn’t like that!” Mary raised her voice, unable to stop the tears that were forming in her eyes. If only John knew what her father had said after he left.

“Yes, Mary, it is.” John snapped, “You mustn’t have loved me that much if you could’ve just gone off with him.” He continued, spitting out the word ‘him’ as if it were poison. 

“John, if you’d just let me explain instead of jumping to conclusions!”

“There’s nothing to explain, Mary! It is what it is, and nothing you can say will make this better!” John yelled, “We’re over! If we were ever anything to begin with..” He added quietly,

Mary opened her mouth to say another word, but all that came out was a sob. She hated it even more when tears began to fall down her cheeks, and all she could do was watch John walk away.

John hid the pain on his face when he dragged himself out of the flashback. Even though he and Mary had had a somewhat happy marriage it still hurt him to look back on the times he’d snapped and said harsh things to her. If John could take it all back then he would in an instant. 

“Dad, what is it?” Dean asked, a worried expression on his face as he watched John; he had been acting very strange recently, as if he was hiding something. 

“I recognise this ring.” John confessed simply, and he used his head to signal to Sam and Dean to follow him. “Come on, I think I know who we’re dealing with.” 

Sam exchanged glances with Dean, but unlike his brother he questioned his father further, “Who? Do you know the vampires who caused this?”

John sighed, “Just follow me on this one and stop asking questions, alright?” It was clear that he was getting frustrated with his youngest son, but despite this Sam didn’t appear to be understanding -or care about- how frustrated John was getting. 

Sam ran around to the front of his father and stopped him in his tracks. “Dad, you need to tell us what’s going on here, otherwise Dean and I aren’t coming. We’re in this together, after all.” Sam explained, ignoring the hard glare John was giving him, 

“Get out of my way.” John demanded in a low, menacing tone, but this time Sam didn’t move, 

“Dad please, who are the vampires? You sound like you know them. How do you know them? Do they have something to do with that ring you’re holding in your hand?” Sam continued,

John took a step forward, looking down as he towered over his youngest son, “I said get out of my way.” He warned, and Dean recognised the look of fury in his father’s eyes. John was about to snap. 

Dean got between them and stood with his back to John, as he tried to prise Sam away. “Come on, Sammy. We can Q and A later. Right now we need to kill the vampires.”

“He’s hiding information from us, Dean!” Sam argued, as he struggled to push Dean out of the way. 

“I know, but we can talk about this later.” Dean raised his voice, trying to defuse the situation. The last thing he wanted was for his brother and John to get into a fight, especially on a case where it was important to have a clear head. 

“I’m not going anywhere until he tells us what’s going on. He says we need to interview people to find out every piece of information there is to know, but now he’s keeping us from this information.” Sam also raised his voice, and this was what finally pushed John over the edge,

“Will you stop arguing and just listen to me? I’ll tell you boys everything you need to know and you don’t need to know about this!” John yelled, which made Dean back down instantly.

“But dad-” Sam began but was cut off by John,

“No! You know what? I should never have brought you along in the first place. I knew you’d hold us back. Why can’t you be more like Dean and just listen to me?!” John screamed, his voice low and had a sense of danger to it.

Sam didn’t argue back, instead he gave John a glare and walked off in the opposite direction.

“Terrific…” Dean muttered sarcastically under his breath. Dean watched as Sam disappeared into the bushes. He wanted to go after him, but he knew if he left his father’s side then he would be in trouble. He glanced over at the ring john was still holding in his hand. He too was curious about it, but he knew better than to interrogate John, especially since Dean could almost feel the anger radiating off his father. 

A high pitched scream suddenly filled the air, and Dean turned his head sharply to the bushes where Sam had disappeared into. “Sam!” Dean shouted, a horrible nausea feeling overwhelmed him at the simple thought of something hurting Sam. Without hesitation, Dean sprinted towards the bushes, pushing the branches aside and freezing after he noticed droplets of blood on the floor. “Sammy!” Dean yelled, his voice filled with worry as his eyes darted around frantically in search of his brother. He ran both of his hands through his hair when he couldn’t see Sam anywhere. “Sam!” He tried once more, but as expected there was no response. 

Something suddenly caught Dean’s eye. Next to the blood on the ground there was a neatly folded piece of paper. It was small and had scraggy edges, so he assumed that it must have been ripped out of a notebook. Dean bent down and picked up the note. He unfolded it and that’s when he noticed his father’s name scribbled at the top of the page. ‘John Winchester. You have something belonging to me and I would like her back. I swore that I would make you pay. You took everything from me, so how about I take everything from you? That sounds fair. J.A.’ 

Dean furrowed his eyebrows. He didn’t recognise the initials from anywhere, they hadn’t even been mentioned in his father’s journal. Dean’s mind soon jumped to something else when he heard a branch snap. He turned his head sharply, his hand automatically reaching for the machete, but before he even had the chance to unattach it from his belt, he felt his arms getting tied behind his back and a hand clamped over his mouth. “Don’t scream, Winchester.” A male voice whispered, and before Dean knew it he felt himself being injected with something and he blacked out. 

******* ****** ******

John had also heard the scream, but he had spent a moment trying to calm himself down before he investigated it; if Sam was in any kind of danger, then he trusted Dean to keep him safe. 

All John could hear was the wind howling through the trees. It was far too quiet for his liking, so he eventually made the decision to investigate. He had seen which direction Dean had run off in, so he followed his tracks through a gap in the bushes.   
He unattached the machete from his belt and silently creeped forward. There was nobody around and all John could see was blood on the floor, an open piece of paper and some leaves that were scattered around, as if there had been a struggle. John took in his surroundings, before he bent down and picked up the note. His expression dropped as his eyes scanned over the messy handwriting. “Oh no…” He murmured under his breath. Even after all those years, he still recognised those initials.


	31. The Truth About J.A

There was a ringing in his ears when he regain consciousness. Whatever had been in that syringe had knocked him out; obviously to prevent him from knowing where he was. Dean groaned. His neck felt stiff and due to his vision being blurry it took him a moment to make out where he was. He was in a barn, an old barn to be exact. Some of the stable doors were hanging off their hinges and stacks of broken hay bales were scattered around the barn. He scowled as he struggled against the ropes which were tying him to a wooden post. His eyes looked around the room, searching frantically for his little brother. He had to know if Sam was okay. Dean's heart felt like it had stopped when he noticed four bodies at the other side of the room, one of them being a child. Thankfully his vision soon came back, allowing him to get a somewhat clear view of the bodies at the other side of the barn. He let out a sigh of relief when he noticed that the boy had ginger hair rather than the dark brown mop of hair that Sam had.

"D-Dean?" Dean heard a weak voice say from the right of him, and he turned his head, relief washing over him when he saw Sam. Yes, he was tied to a post and had a few cuts on his face, but at least he's alive, Dean thought to himself.

"Sammy, are you okay? What happened?" Dean whispered,

"The vampires. Dean, it's a trap." Was all Sam said, before he froze in fear and that's when Dean noticed two people emerging from a door towards the back of the barn.

"Good, you're awake." One of the men pointed out, as he advanced towards both of the boys.

"I have to say you're very observant." Dean mocked,

"Watch your tone, Winchester." The man glared hard at Dean, but Dean didn't feel intimidated whatsoever; their father had taught him what to do in these kinds of situations.

"Or what? You're gonna kill us?" Dean tested confidently,

"Dean, be careful." Sam panicked. Sometimes Dean's sarcasm could get him into all kinds of trouble.

"It's fine, Sammy. They aren't going to kill us. If they wanted us dead they would've killed us already." Dean pointed out, a small smirk on the corner of his lips. There were no bite marks on their neck, so the vampires obviously had something else in mind.

"Smart, Winchester. Or, maybe I'm just saving you for later." The man spoke, and Dean exchanged worried glances with Sam.

"Well, you won't get the chance because before you know it our dad will come through that door and kill you fanged jerks." Dean threatened as he narrowed his eyes into a glare.

"That's part of the plan. We want him to come here, then he can watch as I kill the last two people he cares about." Hearing the vampire say that sparked fear in both of the boys, but Dean resumed his confident act and put on a brave mask.

"So you're the one who wrote that note?" Dean asked, mostly to give himself enough time to break free of the rope, that was now making red marks around both of his wrists. Dean subtly shuffled on the spot, tactfully making it look like he was uncomfortable so that the vampire wouldn't suspect anything. However, in reality he was trying to reach the small pocket knife he kept in the back pocket of his jeans for emergencies. John had trained Dean in breaking free of ropes. John would tie him to a post and expect him to get his pocket knife out of his pocket and break free. At first Dean struggled and one of the first times he'd tried it he had taken a total of thirty minutes to break free. That was too long, especially when you have a hungry vampire waiting to attack you. Thankfully, after several more tries Dean had improved greatly.

Once he'd gotten the pocket knife in his hand, Dean flicked it open and angled his wrist as he began to saw away at the ropes.

"Correct. Your daddy took something very valuable from me, and now it's his fault she's dead!" The vampire's voice got louder and Dean couldn't help but notice a hint of crazy behind his eyes. 

Dean furrowed his eyebrows as he took a moment to think. His expression dropped when he realised what the vampire was talking about. "Mom..." He trailed off under his breath, not loud enough for any human to hear, but vampires on the other hand would be able to hear him perfectly.

"Yes, little Winchester. I loved your mom before he got in the way." The vampire spat, and the way he was talking about John made Dean's blood boil with anger. Nobody spoke poorly of his family and got away with it.

Dean tilted his head to the side, a small smirk staying on his lips, "So what happened? Did she dump you because you didn't buy her flowers?" Dean mocked, his confidence growing once he felt the ropes give way after he'd cut through them. This gave Dean a burst of confidence, so despite the growing anger on the vampire's face Dean added, "Or did she end it with you because you're a bloodsucking freak." He spat.

The vampire snarled as it sped towards Dean. The two of them were now face-to-face, and it's disgusting breath made Dean want to gag. "Buddy, you really need to use a mint." Dean joked. He looked brave on the outside, but inside him his heart was beating rapidly in his chest and there was no denying that he felt absolutely terrified. Dean's eyes widened when a pair of sharp fangs descended from the vampire's mouth.

"You won't be laughing once I'm finished with you." The vampire threatened, and Dean flinched when he felt the vampire's cold breath at the side of his neck.

"Get off him!" Sam yelled as he desperately struggled against the ropes to break free. He was fearing for his brother's life.

The vampire turned its head sharply towards Sam, "I've just about had enough of your whining." It spat, and due to its attention now being on Sam, Dean took his as an opportunity to break free.

He swung his fist at the vampire, hitting it straight in its jaw and knocking it to the ground. "I've had enough of you too." Dean smirked confidently, as he folded up the pen knife and stood up. He backed away from the vampire as he searched around for his pen knife, cursing under his breath when he couldn't find it. "Oh well, I'll just have to take you jerks on myself." Dean shrugged. Once again he put on a strong act, but behind that mask was worry, fear and guilt; worry about their father not finding them, fear of what the vampires will do to them if he doesn't and guilt over letting Sam run off on his own. They wouldn't be in this mess if Dean had watched him or had gone with him.

Dean took another step back and froze when felt an arm wrap around his chest, and the next thing he knew was that he was abruptly being pulled towards the other vampire. Dean struggled against it, only stopping when he heard the barn door creak open, followed by the sound of a gun cocking.

"Let him go." A gruff voice spoke, and Dean turned his head to find his father standing there, aiming a gun at the vampire holding Dean, along with a machete in his other hand.

The vampire scoffed and tightened his grip on Dean, to the point where it was almost crushing Dean's chest. "A gun? You really think you can hurt us with bullets?" The vampire's dark chuckle sent a shiver down Dean's side.

"No, but bullets loaded with dead man's blood will." John smirked, "Now let my sons go."

"No." Another voice said, and this time it had come from the vampire who Dean had knocked to the floor previously.

John's smirk faded and his expression dropped when he caught a glimpse of who it was. An intense feeling of dread overwhelmed John and he slowly started to lower his gun as he fell into a flashback.

A young John Winchester struggled against the ropes that were tying him to one of the broken machines in the derelict warehouse. He couldn't remember how he came to be here, he didn't even know where he was, in fact the last thing he could recall was being attacked by someone. John looked over at the doorway when he heard the sound of footsteps getting louder and louder. The lighting was dull in the warehouse so John only saw who it was when the person emerged from the darkness. It was the boy who Mary was with at the park.

John kept his eyes on the boy as he slowly appeared from behind one of the saw machines. "What the hell?" John exclaimed, pulling on the ropes as hard as he could, as he attempted to break free.

"It's nice to see you too, Johnny." The boy smirked,

"It's John." John narrowed his eyes into a glare as he looked up at the boy; however there wasn't an ounce of fear on his face, because John didn't scare very easily and he definitely wasn't scared of this boy.

The boy rolled his eyes, "Whatever. I don't believe I've introduced myself properly. The name's Jack. Jack Adams."

"Well, I'm delighted I got to meet you, and in such a nice place too. Do you live here?" John mocked, confidence and sarcasm present in his voice.

"Very funny, Winchester." Jack moved quickly towards John, at a speed that no normal human should be able to travel at. "Now, this is how it's gonna work. You're going to let me be with my girl -Actually, let me phrase this a little different, you're never gonna get the chance to see her again."

John tilted his head to the side, "Oh yeah, and why's that?"

"Because you won't make it out of this room." A pair of fangs descended from Jack's mouth, the tips of them covered in blood. John's heart sped up. He had no idea what to do because he'd never come across something like this before, so he simply tried to yell for help; however, nobody came...

John blinked rapidly after coming around from the flashback. He stared at the vampire in front of him in disbelief, yet the only word that came out of his mouth was, "Jack?"

Jack nodded, "Yes, it's me. It's nice to see you again, Johnny." He smirked, and evil glisten in his eyes.

"I don't know what you want but like I said before, you're going to let these boys go." John's grip tightened around the handle of his machete as he spoke,

"Am I? Because I believe that they would make a tasty treat. Revenge is supposed to be sweet after all." Jack rushed to Sam's side, and rested his hand on one of Sam's tiny shoulders, his mouth lingering by Sam's neck.

Dean tensed up and his right nostril twitched as he glared at Jack, "You touch him and you'll be dead before you even hit the ground, do I make myself clear?" Dean snapped, his threatening tone mirroring that of his father's. He wasn't sure where this sudden burst of anger had come from, but seeing Sam's life at stake, mixed the with the look of terror on Sam's face was enough to spark something inside Dean.

Jack shrugged, "And what are you going to do?"

"This." Dean replied simply, then in one swift moment he kicked the other vampire between its legs, before pushing it to the ground. John the tossed his gun to Dean, who caught it and aimed it at the vampire. "I hope you like dead man's blood." Dean pulled the trigger, shooting the vampire multiple times and smirking when it screamed, the blood poisoning it.

Dean then spun around and aimed the gun at Jack, slowly advancing towards him, "Let him go. Now." He glared dangerously, any previous fear he had having gone now that his brother was in danger. Dean was only sixteen -he had turned sixteen a month ago- but the amount of rage he was showing made him seem like an adult, who nobody wanted to mess with.

Dean's eyes widened and Sam screamed in agony when Jack sunk his teeth into the top of his shoulder. "No!" Dean yelled in panic, and he shot Jack multiple times, knocking him backwards with each shot and soon he was at a good enough distance away from Sam for Dean to get to him.

"I'll get Jack, you deal with Sam." John suggested, and Dean nodded in response, before racing over to his brother.

"Sammy, it's going to be okay." Dean assured him, as he flipped open his pocket knife and began to cut away at the ropes.

"D-Dee, it hurts." Sam spluttered as tears fell down his cheeks,

"I know. I know it does. I'll see to it after I cut these ropes, okay?" Dean sawed away vigorously at the ropes, looking up every now and then to check how their father was doing with fighting Jack.

Once the ropes were cut, Dean helped Sam to his feet. Dean's hands were shaking. He was hesitant to look at the wound out of fear of Sam turning into the vampire, but he knew he couldn't avoid it because the bite needed seeing to. He frowned and Sam flinched, letting out a sob as Dean carefully peeled back part of his shirt. There was blood pouring from it, but Dean was relieved to see that the bite wasn't very deep. Dean grabbed a handkerchief from his pocket and held it over the wound. "Hold that there, I'm going to help dad." Dean instructed as he handed the handkerchief to Sam. He then gave Sam a gentle kiss on the forehead, before running around to the back of Jack, who was snarling at John as he forced him to back into one of the wooden posts, that was supporting the barn.

"Surprise." Dean smirked as he shot the vampire in its back, watching it fall to the floor on its knees. "Are you going to leave my dad alone?"

"He took her from me." Jack growled, grabbing Dean's leg and yanking him down, pinning him to the floor. Using both of his hands, Dean attempted to push Jack's face away from him as Jack tried to reach Dean's neck.

"Dean!" Sam yelled, and he momentarily forgot about his injury as he sprinted over to help Dean. On the floor, not far from Dean, Sam noticed something shiny and that's when he realised that Dean had dropped his gun.

"Jack, let them go. This is about you and me!" John yelled, and during those few seconds where Jack was distracted by John, Sam grabbed the gun and shakily aimed it at Jack's head.

The second Sam cocked the gun Jack turned his head sharply to face the younger Winchester. "You shouldn't play with daddy's guns, kid." Jack spoke, before pushing both of Dean's arms away, twisting them round so that he was now pinning them to the floor. Dean couldn't escape and in that moment Dean accepted that he was going to end up as vampire chow; however, Sam wasn't going to let that happen. Dean had protected him, so now it was Sam's turn to step into those shoes.

"Leave my brother alone." Sam spat, firing the gun just before Jack was about to sink his teeth into Dean's neck. Jack fell to the ground, screaming as a sharp pain shot through the bullet wound in his head.

Dean scrambled backwards and Sam wrapped his arm around his brother's waist as he helped him to his feet. "Nice one, Sammy." Dean whispered, showing Sam that he appreciated it. He often doubted if Sam would return the amount of protection and affection that he gave him.

Sam's lips curved up into a small smile. He felt proud of himself for saving his brother, and not to mention relieved that Dean was okay.

Jack had lost strength, and this was clear to John who chose to take this as an advantage. He grabbed the ropes that were previous tying one of his sons to the pillars and proceeded to drag Jack over to the same pillar to tie him up.

Sam stayed close to Dean. He kept his arm around Dean's waist, because despite being able to fight the vampire, Sam itched for the safety his big brother provided.

Dean glanced down at his younger brother, before he looked back at their father. Dean had only been on a couple of vampire hunts, but Sam had never seen their father decapitate a vampire before. So when their father picked up the machete and raised it, Dean placed his hand on the side of Sam's head and turned it so that the only thing Sam could see was Dean. "Sammy, close your eyes." Dean suggested, just to make sure Sam wouldn't see any of the gore. Despite his brother now being a hunter, Dean still saw Sam as the innocent, curly haired boy he once was. The boy that believed that monsters only existed in horror movies.


	32. When History Repeats Itself

With one swing of the machete Jack was dead. Sam kept his head buried in Dean’s chest, to prevent himself from seeing anything that would horrify him more or make him want to throw up. Picking up on this Dean looked down at Sam, “How about we go outside?” He suggested quietly to his brother, and once Sam nodded, Dean put his arm over his shoulder and guided him out of the barn. He knew it would take awhile for their father to dispose of the decapitated body. 

Dean squinted his eyes, the bright sun hitting him the second he opened the door. Once his eyes had brightness, he lead Sam over to the Impala that his father had parked outside the barn. The fact that it was parked at an angle, looking as if it had been abandoned, suggested that their father had been in a rush to save them. 

Sam whimpered as he leaned against Dean. He winced as he took a sharp intake of breath, the pain in his shoulder getting worse. “Dean am I...Am I going to become a vampire?” Sam muttered sadly, wiping his tears on the sleeve of his shirt. 

Dean shook his head, moving his arm to his brother’s waist to take pressure off his shoulder. He “No, you’re going to be fine, Sammy.” He reassured him softly, trying to convince Sam as well as himself that Sam was going to be okay. He pulled away from the hug, “Sit on the hood and I’ll take another look at it. Dad has a first aid kit in the trunk.” He suggested, before helping Sam onto the bonnet of the Impala. He gave Sam’s leg a reassuring pat as he passed him and made his way around to the back of the Impala. He lifted open the trunk and he pushed some of John’s weapons aside, before he picked up the green box with a white cross in the centre of it. He closed the trunk and returned to Sam’s side. 

He placed the first aid box on the floor, before pulling out a box of antiseptic wipes.

“Dean, it hurts.” Sam whined, tears continuing to fall down his cheeks.  
Dean placed his hand on his brother’s good shoulder, “I know, Sammy, but you’ll be okay. As long as I’m around nothing bad’s going to happen to you, remember?” He reminded his brother gently, before he took out one of the antiseptic wipes. “Now I’m going to be honest with you, this is going to sting like Hell, but it’s making it better.” Dean explained,  
Sam nodded, “Okay, Dean. I trust you.” He replied; however, despite this trust in Dean, as his brother moved the wipe towards the wound Sam cowered away from it.

“Sam, you have to stay still if you’re going to let me do this.” Dean explained firmer than he expected, which scared Sam a little, making him think that Dean was about to shout at him.

“I’m sorry, Dean.” He lowered his head, and Dean bit his lip. He hadn’t meant to scare Sam.

“It’s okay, Sammy.” He assured him. When Sam was younger Dean would often let him squeeze his hand when he was seeing to his wounds, but those were simple cuts and grazes, Sam had never had a wound as bad as this. “Do you want to hold onto me while I see to it?”

Sam nodded as he gave his brother an irresistible yet sad puppy dog eye look. He then took Dean’s sleeve, and he clutched the material as tight as he could when Dean began to dab the wound with the antiseptic wipes. The coldness of the cloth was nice against his skin, but the ointment inside the wipe only made the wound sting more. The pain shot through his shoulder and down the top of his arm, causing Sam to let out several cries of pain, each of them causing Dean to feel a pang in his chest. He hated it when his brother was in pain and he couldn’t do much about it. 

“It’s done now. You did good, Sammy.” Dean gave his brother a smile, before he returned to the first aid box to put the wipes away and get out the box of plasters. He then returned to Sam and peeled the wrapping from the plaster. 

Sam wiped the remaining tears from his cheeks and he gave his brother a small smile, “Thanks Dean.”

Dean nodded, before catching a glimpse of John as he made his way over to the Impala. The sun was beginning to set in the clear sky, that had now turned a mixture of different oranges and reds. “Dad, are we going back to the motel now?” Dean asked, 

“No, we’ll be sleeping in the car tonight, son.” John replied, as he wiped his face on a hand towel. 

“But dad-” Sam began, but got cut off by John,

“We don’t have enough money for another night at the motel for the three of us. We’ll sleep in the car for tonight and I’ll drop you boys off at Bobby’s in the morning.” John explained, and because of the possibly of going to Bobby’s house Sam agreed to it. 

“Dad, could you take a look at Sammy’s shoulder? Just like what you have time…” Dean added quietly, because he didn’t want his father to think he was rushing him, even though it was a matter of urgency in Dean’s mind. 

“Sure.” John replied, before he turned to Sam; however, Sam felt irrationally scared of having his father look at the wound, so he cowered away from him. “Dammit Sam, stay still! It’s just a vampire bite.” John snapped, his voice firm and Sam was able to sense the warning in his tone so he obeyed. John gently peeled back the plaster, at which point Sam clenched his teeth, but he tried to remain still so that their father wouldn’t get mad. “There’s still blood, but I can’t tell if the venom entered the wound. I’ll have Bobby take a look at it in the morning.” John explained, which only worried both of the boys more.   
Dean forced a reassuring smile as he placed his hand on Sam’s other shoulder, “Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll be fine.” He spoke, trying to convince himself of the same thing. Behind the strong mask Dean was fearing his brother turning into a vampire. He had never come across a friendly monsters as once they turn they’re usually monsters, and Dean couldn’t bare to see Sam go down that road. 

Just like always when John finished a hunt he wanted to leave as soon as he could. Once he and Dean had cleaned the weapons he set off for an empty field on the outskirts of town. On the rare occasion where the Winchesters couldn’t afford to stay at a motel John would find an empty field, away from any urban area so they could sleep in peace. Of course, this made them more vulnerable, so either John or Dean would stay away to keep watch while the other was sleeping.   
The field was about a fifteen minute drive from the campsite so Sam chose this time as an opportunity to interrogate their father about Jack. “So what was Jack talking about? He said something about you and mom.” Sam asked,

John’s grip on the steering wheel tightened, but this time the anger flooding through him wasn’t directed towards Sam, it was directed towards Jack. John sighed, and both of the boys were surprised when their father began to explain everything. He explained the story of when they first met, the argument with Mary’s father, the incident at the park and he finished off with how Mary came to his rescue in the warehouse.

John whimpered as Jack was only millimetres away from John’s neck when the door swung open, followed by the sound of a gun cocking. His eyes widened in disbelief, “Mary?” He whispered. Mary was standing there in her usual jeans, t-shirt and overshirt, aiming a gun at Jack. 

“Let him go.” She demanded, and the firmness of her voice even sent shivers down John’s spine. She could be quite intimidating when she wanted to be.

“Or what? Are you gonna kill me?” John tested, a confident smirk in the corner of his mouth, 

“No, but I’m going to do this.” Mary replied simply, and when she pulled the trigger Jack fell to the ground, an intense pain shooting through the wound in his lower abdomen.   
Now that Jack was weakened Mary raced over to John. She grabbed a pocket knife and flicked it open, before she began to saw away at the rope.

“How did you find me?” John asked out of curiousity, but there was no denying how happy he was to see Mary right now.

“My dad said he’d seen you going off with Jack.” Mary explained, and the second she’d cut through the ropes and put the pocket knife away, she pulled John into her arms. “I’m just glad you’re okay.” She let out a deep sigh of relief. 

John melted into Mary’s touch, his arm shaking as he wrapped his around his waist. “Thank you for..you know, saving me.” He stammered, a fuzzy sensation building up in his stomach. 

Mary smiled and planted a gentle kiss on John’s cheek, “You’re welcome.” She then pulled away from John and stood up. Once again she aimed the gun at Jack, “We’re over.” She shot him once more, before she helped John to his feet. A small smile formed on his lips as she took John’s hand, “I guess I have a lot of explaining to do.”

John managed a weak smile, “You do.” He replied simply, before the both of them began to make their way out of the warehouse.

“N-no, Mary! You can’t leave me!” Jack cried through whimpers of pain, as he used one of the nearby machines to push himself up, “You will pay, Winchester! I swear, I’ll make you pay!” The yelling continued, but John chose to ignore it, which became easy as soon as the couple exited the warehouse and made their way to the park. Mary did have a lot of explaining to do, but for now John was just glad that she was back in his presence; back by his side, where she would hopefully remain for the rest of their lives. 

“Dad!” Sam called for the third time, once again dragging their father out of a flashback.  
John blinked quickly; however, much like Dean, his expression didn’t show the sadness that he was feeling inside. “I’m sorry, what was I saying?”

“You were telling us about how mom saved you.” Sam replied,

“Oh yeah. Well, after she saved me we went for a walk in the park. I asked her about what Jack was and she told me that he was a human pretending to be a vampire. A crazy human were her exact words.” John smiled sadly at the memory, “Little did I know that she was lying. I only found out the truth when pastor Jim told me. He was good friends with the Campbells and Mary had told him about what happened with Jack.” He continued, 

“So, did mom use the same dead man’s blood in the bullet trick you did? How come you didn’t question that?” Sam asked out of curiosity, 

“Because I was naive back then. All I saw was Mary, so I blocked everything else out. I didn’t care about what happened to Jack, but as soon as I found out about hunting I asked. Jim told me that Mary had used bullets filled with dead man’s blood. He taught me a lot about hunting and how Mary wanted to keep me out of the life. She hated it, but he dad insisted that she stayed in the business.” John explained, and both of the boys listened to every word; this was the most Dean had heard John talk about their mother.

“How did she keep it hidden from you?” Sam asked, 

“I’ve got no idea, but she did. She was careful, a lot more careful than me. The Campbells were the people who taught Jim about hunting, so everything he taught me came from them.” John continued, 

“I’m sure mom would be proud of you.” Dean spoke up, surprised when John shook his head,

“She never would have wanted you boys to be a part of this.” John muttered quietly, just loud enough for Sam and Dean to hear.

“How did mom get out?” Sam asked, tactfully taking this opportunity to come up with his own way of getting out of the hunting business. If his mother could get out then he could too.

“She just left. She had an argument with her father and left with me. We moved into our own place in Lawrence, got married and that’s when we had Dean.” John’s voice cracked towards the end. Talking about Mary always brought a tear to his eyes, because it was a sensitive subject for him, so because of this he didn’t hesitate before he changed the conversation, “Let’s go here.” John turned the car down a muddy side road, and stopped once they reached a gate. The wooden gate was cracked and had a rusty padlock hanging open from the handle of the gate. The padlock was rusty and the broken trees surrounding it showed that this field hadn’t been stepped in for years. “Dean, I’m going to get out and open the gate. Can you take over the wheel?” John asked, but Dean knew that that wasn’t a question; his father wasn’t giving him a choice in this, so he clambered over the seat and climbed into the driver’s seat once John had gotten out of the car. Even though the legal driving age was sixteen John had given Dean private driving lessons at the age of fourteen, so Dean was aware of the basics of driving. This worked as an advantage for John, especially when it came to things like this; however, Dean would never drive long distances like his father did, as John was waiting for Dean to reach the legal driving after before he did that.  
Dean smiled at the roaring sound that came out of the engine as he turned the key. It was a satisfying sound that never failed to fill him with excitement. He waited for John to open the gate, which only took a few minutes, and the second he saw his father step out of the way Dean put the car into first gear and pressed down on the accelerator. He then drove steadily through the gate and his smile only increased when he saw a proud look on John’s face. Dean often saw this look when he drove the Impala and it made him feel good inside, because this was one of the few times where Dean knew that he had made his father proud. Dean applied the brake and the car came to a halt towards the centre of the field. 

A ring of trees and bushes surrounded the field and Dean had managed to find a spot to park where there weren’t any muddy puddles. Dean double checked to make sure he’d put the handbrake on, before he turned the engine off.   
“Good landing, son.” Were John’s words when Dean stepped out of the car, which only made the older Winchester sibling smile more.  
Dean shivered when a cold spring breeze blew some of the developing blossom off the trees that surrounded them. In the distance an owl could be heard, but apart from that the field was quiet. Only a few clouds could be seen gliding across the starry night sky, revealing a crescent moon behind them. Dean took a deep breath and despite the conflicting thoughts swirling around in his head, Dean felt himself relax. Even though they didn’t have a roof over their head and four walls, it didn’t mean that they were homeless. Yes, sleeping in the Impala could get cold, but with Sam by his side Dean felt like he was back home; back at Bobby’s or even the home he once had with his mother.


	33. Solutions

For the next two hours neither of the siblings spoke to each other; Sam stayed downstairs with his head in a book, meanwhile Dean had shut himself in his room and spent his time flicking through his father's old leather hunting journal. Sam's words were still haunting him, as they kept replaying through his mind on a constant loop. Maybe Sam did hate him, maybe he wanted to be independent and didn't want Dean watching over him practically 24/7. 

Dean turned the page and stared at the date at the top of it. 'November 2nd 1983'. The date of his mother's death. Meeting someone from his father's past hadn't been easy on Dean. He missed his mother more than John, Bobby or even Sam knew. He let out a deep sigh, unable to draw his eyes away from the page. Ever since that dreadful night Dean had done everything he could to ensure Sam's safety. He had been doing so since the age of four, so the thought of Sam not needing him anymore made Dean's chest feel heavy with sadness. 

He ran his hand down the front of his face as he turned the page, trying to hide the large amount of pain that was present on his face. The next page was about what John did after Mary's death. Dean didn't fully understand it but an entry at the bottom of the page caught his eye:

'Dean still hardly talks. I try to make small talk to ask him to throw a baseball around, but I get no response. He never budges from his brother's side. Every morning when I wake up, Dean is inside the crib, arms wrapped around baby Sam, like he's trying to protect him from whatever is out there in the night.' Dean read. He only had a faint memory of that period of time. The entry had been written during the first couple of months after his mother's death. He hadn't uttered a word to anyone, not even their father. All Dean wanted was his little brother. He often woke up from nightmares and whenever he did John was at his side. Their father was different back then. He comforted both of the boys whenever they had a nightmare, he tried to give them as much of a normal childhood as he could. It was only a year later that things changed. John started to seek revenge on the thing that killed Mary, and in result he put Dean through training. That was when Dean's life had changed. He had gone from a lost little boy, who wanted nothing but to have his mother back, to a soldier who had been forced to grow up too quickly. 

Dean was dragged out of his troubling trail of thoughts when he heard a knock on the door. "Come in." He said, as he closed his father's journal and placed it down on the bedside table. 

Dean cleared his throat and put up a strong mask when he saw Bobby standing at the door. "Are you okay, kid? I've been calling you for dinner for five minutes."

"Y-yeah, I'm fine. I was just..I was just reading something and I didn't hear you." Dean replied, which wasn't a complete lie because Dean hadn't heard Bobby calling him, but he chose to leave out the part where he had been dwelling on the past or the argument with Sam.

Bobby nodded, "Okay, well come down soon before it gets cold."

"What's for dinner?" Dean asked; food never failed to make him feel better.

"We're having burgers." Bobby explained simply.

Dean managed a small smile, "Okay, Bobby." He stood up and followed Bobby out of his bedroom. When he walked downstairs and entered the kitchen, Dean noticed that Sam and John were already at the table. Dean took a seat next to John and opposite Sam. Looking at Sam only reminded him of their argument and the hurtful things Sam had said, so consequently Dean didn't feel hungry, not even when Bobby placed a hot burger in front of him with melted cheese running down the sides of it. 

"Dean, are you not going to eat that?" John asked a couple of minutes into dinner, when he saw Dean poking at the fries on his plate with his fork. 

"I am..." Dean spoke quietly. If he didn't eat it then he would feel bad for making Bobby cook it for him. Dean reached over the table and quickly grabbed the bottle of tomato Ketchup, even though Sam was also reaching for it.

"I was going to use that!" Sam exclaimed,

Dean gave Sam a glare as he squirted a large dollop next to the fries on his plate. "Well I'm using it now."

"But you'll use all of it!" Sam argued, 

"Yeah, because I'm going to finish the whole bottle of Ketchup." Dean snapped, his voice filled with sarcasm. 

"Okay, enough!" Bobby raised his voice, interrupting the siblings. "What's going on with you two?

"It's his fault!" Both of the brother's shouted at the same time, pointing their fingers at each other. 

"Whatever..." Dean muttered moodily when he caught his father's gaze. 

"Neither of you have spoken a word to each other since you arrived here, so what's going on? This isn't like you." Bobby pointed out, this time not raising his voice but Dean could tell that neither of them were going to leave the table unless one of them told the adults what had happened between them.

As mad as Dean was at his brother, he couldn't bring himself to tell John what Sam had said about leaving the family business, because that would only make Sam hate him more. "We had an argument last night. It was over something stupid really." Dean attempted to explain without giving too much away. 

"You missed out the part where you took my bed." Sam spoke up, 

Dean scoffed, "I didn't take it. I always have the bed next to the window!"

"No you don't!" Sam argued back.

"Bobby said that's enough!" John snapped, and the second he did both of the boys looked away from each other. "I'm disappointed with you two. You're acting like children. Now either apologise to each other or eat your dinner in silence. I'd rather not have to listen to you two arguing!" 

Dean nodded, "Sorry, sir." He said under his breath, before picking up his burger. He was even less hungry now than he was before, but Dean didn't want to make John angry by not eating his dinner. 

After dinner, Dean returned to his room meanwhile Sam remained downstairs. Sam sat down on the couch, but he couldn't concentrate on the book that he'd left open on top of one of the cushions, as his mind was on Dean. Despite having a unique relationship with his brother -not many siblings watched out for each other like they did- Sam and Dean did have their share of arguments, but none had been as bad as this, so now that he'd calmed down Sam was afraid that he'd spoiled that unique relationship. 

Bobby was making his way through the living room when he saw Sam sitting on the couch with his head down, fiddling with one of the tassels on a cushion. "Are you okay, kid?" Bobby asked as he sat down next to Sam, who simply shrugged. "Is it about Dean?"

Sam nodded, "He hates me." Sam muttered sadly, leaning into Bobby when he felt a pair of warm arms wrap around him, pulling him into a hug. 

"I'm sure he doesn't. If anything he's probably thinking you hate him. Whatever happened between you two you need to sort it out." Bobby explained, running his fingers through the front of Sam's hair, which flopped down onto Sam's forehead. 

"I-I can't. I messed everything up, Bobby." Sam murmured as a tear fell down his cheek, which he quickly wiped away.

"No you didn't, just talk to him. That's the only way to make things better, yelling won't help anything. Your brother cares about you, son. Why else would be protect you like he has?" Bobby asked rhetorically.

Sam shrugged, "Because dad asked him to."

"I think there's more to it then that, Sam. I know there is." Bobby replied, his usual gruff voice having a comforting softness to it. "How about you go and talk to him about it, then if things get bad I'll sort it out?" Bobby suggested, glad when Sam finally nodded. He hated seeing the boys fight.

Sam slowly pulled away from the hug, "I'll try.." He replied, before hesitantly standing up. 

He slowly made his way upstairs, his stomach doing somersaults the closer he got to Dean's door. "It'll be okay.." Sam whispered, trying to reassure himself as he raised his fist and knocked quietly at the door. He waited for a few seconds, before he heard Dean say, "Come in." 

Sam took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves before he finally opened the door and entered the room. He kept his head down when he saw Dean sitting on his bed. 

"What do you want?" Dean asked, and Sam almost backed out when he heard the annoyance's in his brother's voice.

"I wanted to say that I..I'm sorry. I didn't mean what I said. I..I don't hate you, Dean. You're my big brother." Sam apologised quietly, bracing himself for Dean's yelling; however he was surprised when he felt his brother's arms wrap tightly around him and pull him into a hug. 

It suddenly felt as if a weight had been lifted off Dean's chest as he felt Sam's arms wrap tightly around his waist, and he rested his chin on his brother's shoulder. "It's okay, Sammy. And um..I'm sorry too, for..y'know..I shouldn't have freaked out." Dean attempted to speak, but unlike Sam, apologising wasn't something he found easy.

"I forgive you, Dean." Sam replied, happy to once again be in the safety of his brother's arms. 

"Thank you." Dean whispered, letting a sigh of relief as he pulled away from the hug. "But you're still your own person, and it isn't right for me to dictate what you can and can't do." He explained, running his hand down the front of his face as he turned his back on Sam. He wasn't angry, but he didn't want Sam to know how much it hurt to know that Sam might not need him anymore.

Sam kept his eyes on Dean, "I know I am, but sometimes it's hard to make my own decisions and with dad hardly being around, I guess that means I still need my big brother to watch out for me."

Sam couldn't see it, but a small smile had formed on Dean's face. After last night he never thought he would hear those words and they were almost like music to Dean's ears. "R-really?" Dean asked in disbelief, 

"Yes. You're my brother. Watching out for each other is what we've always done and always will do." Sam replied sweetly, which almost brought a tear to Dean's eyes. "And I'm sorry if I ever made you think I don't need you." Sam added,

Dean managed to hold back the tear and turned around, placing his hand on his brother's shoulder, "That was beautiful, Sam. And now I feel like I've stepped into a chick flick." Dean joked; however, aside of his brother's joking, Sam could tell that Dean had forgiven him and that's what made him happy. 

Sam chuckled quietly, "You're such a jerk." He smiled, and this time Dean could tell that he was joking.

"But I'm still awesome." Dean joked back, 

"Whatever you say." Sam rolled his eyes; however, it was easy to tell that he was holding back a smile. "Anyway, I should probably tell you that Bobby looked at the bite on my shoulder." Sam began, 

"So are you going to go all Lupin on me?" Dean joked to hide the amount of worry that he was feeling. 

Sam chuckled, "Dude, you know Lupin is a werewolf not a vampire, right?" He teased, 

Dean's smile faded and he awkwardly scratched the back of his neck, "What? Of course I knew that..." He tried to shrug it off, but he couldn't deny how stupid he felt for getting it wrong, "And even if I did get it wrong, then it's a good thing I have a personal Harry Potter encyclopedia for a brother." Dean teased with a grin, ruffling Sam's hair and chuckling when Sam swatted his hand away. "So seriously, what did Bobby say?" Dean asked, still concerned for his brother despite the joking. 

"He said I'm going to be fine, the bite wasn't deep enough for the venom to enter my system." Sam explained, which was like music to Dean's ears. 

"That's good." Dean gave Sam an affectionate pat on the back, showing how relieved he was to hear that Sam was okay. 

"Yeah, and I have you to thank for that. You're the one who shot that vampire, you saved my life." Sam spoke, his expression showing that he was grateful for what Dean had done. 

Dean nodded, "You're welcome." He replied simply, feeling too awkward to go into detail about why he had saved Sam; however, there was one thing bothering him, and it had been bothering him since they left the barn. Dean had shot that vampire without any hesitation and in all honesty it had scared him. He had acted like a soldier. A soldier who would do anything to make sure his family survived, no matter what actions he took to achieve that. Dean was just a teenager, yet he was acting like an adult. He hadn't noticed it before, because he had been so focused on protecting Sam, but since the argument, Dean had had a lot of time to think about his actions. During that time he had come to the conclusion that he was nothing more than a soldier doing his duty. He doubted if he would ever get out of the hunting life, whereas Sam had more of a chance. Sam was smart and Dean had noticed only recently just how independent he could be, and even though Sam had confirmed that he hadn't meant the harsh words he said, Dean was still fearing that one day they might come true.


	34. The Meadow Beyond The Treeline

The boy's had been at Bobby's for a week now. John had left to hunt a Wendigo two towns over. It was a difficult case, but he'd told the boys that he would be back by the weekend. It was now Friday. A sunny Friday afternoon to be exact. Sam and Dean had spent the week training with Bobby; they had done hand to hand combat, shooting practice and Bobby had talked them through what to do if they were in a fight with different kinds of monsters. Both of the boys found it helpful, and Sam much preferred it to be Bobby who was teaching them rather than John. John was like an army drill sergeant, whereas Bobby was like a supportive sports coach. John would show them how to do it once then force them to figure the rest out for themselves. Sam always felt under pressure to get it right the first fews times. Bobby, however, took a more gentle approach to things. He would explain techniques more than once and wouldn't put the boys through anything that they didn't feel comfortable going through. It was still strenuous, but Bobby would give them regular breaks from training. Of course, Dean was very reluctant to take Bobby up on those breaks, because his father had drilled it into his mind that "you grab a gun and go out there, shoot first, ask questions later. Either you get good fast or you get dead faster."

After lunch Bobby took the boy's out to a field at the back of his house. This was where they would train, or just simply spend time together in summer. The field was down a muddy path with trees surrounding it. Despite it being at the edge of the forest it was safe enough for the boys to go. Of course the possibility of a monster appearing was likely, but then again they could run into a monster anywhere they go. Nowhere was truly safe, but Dean made sure that he stayed close to Sam's side, so that he could protect him should he need to.

A large oak tree stood tall in the centre of the sunny field. Carved into the bark were the initials 'S.W' and 'D.W', implying that the field belonged to Sam and Dean. The branches on the oak tree toward over the flowers surrounding it, letting just enough light through to illuminate a cross that was situated in the ground beneath it. Written on the cross was the name 'Mary Winchester'. Even though their mother's official gravestone wasn't here, Bobby thought it would be nice if the brother's created a memorial area for their mother, as it wasn't often that John would take them to Mary's grave. In fact, John avoided it at all costs.   
Situated at one side of the meadow, underneath an alcove of branches there was a wooden bench. The wood was cracked slightly, but it was sturdy enough to seat two boys and their uncle. The bench was positioned at the perfect angle to watch the stars flicker in the night sky and if the sun was setting then the Winchesters would be able to watch it without any trouble. At the foot of the bench lay an old baseball that Dean had brought last year when he and Sam had snuck out to watch a baseball game. A signature could just about be seen on the side of the ball, but most of it had either been smudged or washed off by the rain. Propped up against one of the trees was a bullseye target. The holes scattered around the target were slowly getting closer to the centre, implying that the boy's who used it had improved with every shot, with the help of a more experienced shooter; towards the back of the bench were some loose branches and what was left of a den, that the brother's had spent weeks building last summer; at the other side of the bench the grass was growing over some dark green, plastic army men that had been scattered around and abandoned, as if the person using them had left in a hurry.  
It was clear to Bobby that even in the future this field would still hold a special place in the boy's hearts, as it hadn't only been a place of safety for them, but a place where there wasn't any vampires, werewolves or demons; it was a place, in fact one of the only places, where the boys were allowed to be children.

Dean watched as Bobby dumped the duffel bag on the floor and proceeded to fumble through it, as if he was looking for something. Dean furrowed his eyebrows in confusion when Bobby brought out two baseball gloves and a wooden baseball bat. This wasn't right, they were supposed to be doing target practice today.

"Sam, why don't you go and grab that ball from over there?" Bobby suggested, as he used his head to signal over to the baseball that was lay on the grass.

Sam's face lit up and he sprinted over to where the bench was to collect the baseball. Dean, however, was a little more reluctant than his brother to have fun, as he knew what John would say if he ever found out about this.

"But dad said we need to practice shooting a salt filled rifle." Dean frowned.

"We're going to skip the guns for today and you're going to throw a ball around like other little jerks do." Bobby joked as he handed Dean one of the gloves.

Sam soon returned with the ball, throwing it in the air and catching it with one hand.

"But what if dad finds out?" Dean asked, still feeling unsure. Whenever they got distracted from training their father would shout at them and force them to train for longer. Dean hated it.

"So what if he does? We've been training all week." Sam pointed out, as he looked up at his brother with an expression that mirrored that of a puppy begging for food.

Dean sighed in defeat, "Fine." He reached his arm out and smirked when he caught the ball as Sam threw it in the air. "You're batting first." Dean announced.

Due to there being only two of them -or three when Bobby joined in- Sam and Dean wouldn't follow the rules of the baseball. Instead they would hit the ball and see if the other two could catch it. The one who dropped it was the one who got to hit the ball next; however if neither of them caught it then the ball would have to be hit again by the same person, in this case it was Sam.

Dean positioned himself several steps in front of Sam. "Good luck, Samsquatch." Dean smirked, before he swung his arm in circles and eventually threw the ball. He laughed when his brother missed it, "Nice hit." He teased.

Sam narrowed his eyes into a glare as he looked at his brother, "Maybe your throwing skills are just bad." Sam teased competitively,

Dean shrugged, "We'll see." He grinned as he caught the ball. He then threw it again and this time when Sam hit it, Dean sprinted across the field and held his arm in the air to catch the ball. When the ball hit his hand it bounced off, but Dean practically threw himself across the field and caught it, getting a few grass stains on his red over shirt in the process, but he didn't care. He was having too much fun to care about anything right now.

Dean managed to catch the ball more often than Sam did; however, Sam had surprised him a little by how many times he hit the ball and how far he had done each time. Sam had definitely improved when it came to sports.

Once again it was Dean's turn at throwing the ball and this time he decided to have some fun with Sam. "Are you ready?" He asked, a small smirk on the corner of his lips.

"Sure." Sam smiled confidently.

Dean chuckled quietly to himself, before he repeatedly spun his arm around in circles, making it looked like he'd thrown the ball when in reality he was subtly holding it behind him. Dean burst into hysterics when Sam swung the bat, then proceeded to look around him and furrowing his eyebrows in confusion.

"Where is it?" Sam asked, growing more confused when he heard Dean laughing. "Dean, what have you done?" He whined,

Dean managed to stop his laughter long enough to answer Sam, "I haven't done anything." He grinned.

Sam narrowed his eyes at his brother, who smirked when Sam continued to look for the ball. Sam bent down to see if the ball had rolled underneath the bushes behind him, and when he did he suddenly felt something hard hit his shoulder. "Hey!" He jumped up only to find his brother laughing and the ball at his own feet. Sam picked the ball up, letting out a sigh, clenching his jaw and tilting his head slightly to the side as he glared at Dean, "You had this the whole time, didn't you?" He asked, even though he already knew the answer.

Dean smirked, "..Maybe." He then laughed and sheltered his face with his arm when Sam threw the ball back at him.

"You're such a jerk." Sam exclaimed, but Dean could tell that he was holding back a smile.

"Sure I am, bitch." Dean grinned playfully.

The boys spent the remainder of the afternoon throwing the baseball back and forth, and seeing how far they could hit it. Bobby was more than happy to sit on the bench and watch them, as it was good to see the brothers as children, rather than the soldiers their father wanted them to be. They stayed outside until the sun began to set, which was a signal for the boys to go inside. They entered Bobby's house with grins on their faces, the both of them radiating with happiness.

"I totally beat you." Dean announced competitively,

"No you didn't. I hit the ball the furthest!" Sam exclaimed,

"Yeah, but I caught it more times than you did." Dean smirked, playfully messing up his brother's hair, which only resulted in Sam hitting his hand away.

Dean spent the remainder of the afternoon watching TV, meanwhile Sam played with Bobby's dog. That was until Bobby called them for dinner, at which point both of the boys joined him at the table. Dean's eyes widened and he smiled, his stomach rumbling loudly when he saw slices of pepperoni pizza on their plates.

"Hungry?" Sam teased with a quiet chuckle,

"When am I not?" Dean grinned as he sat down.

Sam had salad with his pizza, whereas Dean had fries. Bobby knew the boys well enough to know exactly what they would want without even asking. Sam preferred healthy food, whereas Dean liked anything that wasn't green.

"I don't know how you can eat that." Dean commented, a disgusted expression on his face as he looked at the salad on his brother's plate.

Sam swallowed his mouthful of food before he spoke, "What? It's good for you."

Dean's eyebrows knitted together as he screwed his face up, "It's rabbit food."

"That's enough." Bobby said with a quiet chuckle. As amusing as he found it, he didn't want the boys playful fighting to escalate into another fall out.

The three of them didn't say anything as they continued to eat; however, the silence was soon broken by the sound of the door bell. "I'll get it." Bobby suggested, as he placed his knife and fork down, resting them on the edges of the plate. He then stood up and made his way to open the front door, and when he did he noticed John standing there.

"The case finished early, so I..." John trailed off upon noticing the baseball and bat that Sam had so carelessly left by the door, "What's that?" He asked, furrowing his eyebrows as he looked from the bat to Bobby.

"It is what it looks like, John. And before you go off on one, they have done some training. They've been training all week. They deserve a break." Bobby explained, even though he knew it would be pointless.

"If they're fighting for their lives they won't get a break!" John raised his voice and Bobby could already sense the anger in his tone.

"They're kids, John. Kids aren't supposed to fight. They're supposed to play and have fun." Bobby attempted to diffuse the situation,

"There's no time for playing games, they have to be ready!" John snapped,

"I get that John, but you're treating them more like soldiers than teenage boys. Let them have fun for a change." Bobby didn't raise his voice, instead he remained calm, as he knew that by shouting it would only cause John's anger to increase.

John narrowed his eyes into a glare and took a small step closer to Bobby, his height advantage making him look intimidating, but Bobby didn't back down. "Don't tell me how to treat my sons!" John yelled, loud enough for Sam and Dean to hear.

"I wasn't. If you'd just listen for a second, instead of acting like you know everything!" Bobby raised his voice only slightly,

"I know what's best for my boys and that is hunting! I'm not letting what happened to Mary happen to them, and if it does then it's on you!" John continued to yell, "And you have no right to tell me how I should be treating them, you're not their dad!"

John's words hurt, but Bobby managed to hide it with a glare. "I may not be their father, but I love them and I will do what's best for them when they're in my care." Bobby spat, and John was about to open his mouth to argue again when he caught a glimpse of Sam at the door.

Sam and Dean had been standing behind the door, listening to every word that John and Bobby were saying. They both hated it when they argued, as they knew that Bobby did his best and in Sam's opinion, he had a better time at Bobby's than he did hunting with John.

"Sam, Dean, pack your stuff, we're leaving." John ordered, and Sam and Dean knew better than to argue back.

Once they were in their bedroom and out of the way of John's screaming, Sam turned to Dean. "Do you think dad will stop us from coming here?" He asked quietly, as he looked up at his brother using only his eyes, making himself look sad and vulnerable. Some arguments with John were worse than others, and this definitely qualified as a bad one. After a bad argument with Bobby, John would always take the boys away, after telling Bobby that they wouldn't return. They would be gone for weeks, maybe even months and Sam hated it. For Sam, going to Bobby's was like having a break. Yes, Bobby did encourage them to do training, but he found a way to make it so that the boys wouldn't completely hate it. Of course, that wasn't the only thing Sam liked about being at Bobby's: he enjoyed having a home; being able to play with his brother or the dog outside; occasionally Bobby even bought them gifts and taught them how to do things that didn't involve hunting. Sam loved it, and despite not showing it as much, Dean did too.

"No. You know dad, he says things he doesn't mean. I'm sure that was just something he said in the heat of the moment, that's all." Dean explained, as he packed his weapons and his clothes into his bag.

Sam nodded as he swung his now packed bag over his shoulder, "I hope you're right." He murmured sadly,

Picking up on his sadness, Dean placed his hand on Sam's shoulder, "When am I ever wrong?" He joked,

Sam looked up at his brother with a small smile, "I've known you to be wrong a few times." He teased,

"That's only because you don't like to admit your wrong, so you prove me wrong." Dean joked back, removing his hand from Sam's shoulder.

Sam laughed, "That doesn't even make sense." He teased, giving his brother a playful but gentle punch on his shoulder, before he made his way downstairs.

Dean chuckled, before he followed Sam downstairs. His smile faded when he saw Bobby standing at the front door with John. The two of them were standing in silence, which implied that there had been more cross words spoken after the brother's left.

"I guess I'll be seeing you another time." Bobby forced a smile. John's words had hurt him, but he managed to hide it with anger; however, Dean was another person who had experienced just how badly one of John's outbursts could get, so he knew how Bobby was feeling.

"Yeah, thanks for everything, Bobby." Dean wrapped his arms around Bobby's waist, giving him a hug to show that he appreciated what Bobby had done for them in the past week.

"It's alright. It's a pleasure having you boys." Bobby gave Dean a pat on the back as he pulled away. Then once Sam had given him a hug, Bobby stood at the doorstep and waved goodbye.

As Sam was walking to the Impala with Dean and John, there was a sudden barking behind him and he smiled widely when he saw Bobby's dog running up to say goodbye. Sam bent down, stroking the puppy's head, "How could I leave without saying goodbye to you?" He spoke affectionately, smiling more when the dog barked back. Sam gave it one final pat on the head, before standing up, "I'll see you soon." He waved at the dog, before he joined his father and Dean in the car.

Sam waved goodbye to Bobby until he could see him no more. He then reached over for his bag, which was on the seat next to him and brought out his book. Dean had his headphones on, listening to a rock song as he sat in the front seat, whereas John drove in silence. Both of the brother's knew that the next few weeks -or maybe even months- would be hard, they just didn't know how hard.


	35. Teenage Crush

Since they'd left Bobby's, Sam and Dean had attended two schools. One in central Missouri and one in Minnesota. Dean had hated them both, but Sam had been more than keen to go. The school they attended in Minnesota had been different to the others, and because of this Sam could attend the same school as Dean. This had turned out to be quite convenient for the brothers, because that so happened to be the school with the immature teenagers, who felt the need to bully people who were younger than them. Consequently, this resulted in Sam getting bullied to the point where he would return to the motel in tears. This had only sparked a large amount of anger inside Dean, who ended up beating the kids up for Sam, and after that they didn't bother him again.   
Dean was quite popular at school, especially with the girls, but he never let the attention for to his head, because without fail, he would always be there for Sam. Sam was his little brother, his responsibility, so Dean had made it his priority to ensure that Sam was happy at school.

It was the end of April and the Winchesters had moved to yet another school, this time in Lebanon, Kansas. John had stumbled across a hunt where the nicest people had been lashing out at each other; he assumed it must be a demon.   
Sam walked along side his brother along the sidewalk, in the direction of their high school. Sam was happy, because once again he was able to attend the same school as Dean. He would be in the ninth grade whereas Dean would be four grades above him.

Once they reached the school gates, Dean lead Sam into the entrance hall. To the left there was a wooden desk, with the word 'School Office.' carved into the wood, along with the school logo beneath it. There was a trophy case on the far wall, with a line of lockers down one of the walls of a nearby corridor. To the right was possibly the only thing Dean cared about at school; the cafeteria.

"Well I know where I'll be spending my time. Have fun with classes, Sammy." Dean jokingly patted Sam's shoulder.

Sam rolled his eyes, but Dean could tell that he was struggling to hold back a smile. "Come on, you can't spend all day in the cafeteria."

"Watch me." Dean grinned, and the next thing he knew was that Sam was dragging him, by the sleeve of his leather jacket, over to the school desk.

The woman at the desk looked up from the stack of papers she was looking through. "Hello, can I help you?" She asked, and the kindness in her voice instantly made Sam feel comfortable.

"Yes, we're new here. I'm Sam Winchester, and this is my older brother, Dean." Sam explained, taking control because he knew that if Dean had his way then he would skip school altogether.

The woman smiled, "It's nice to meet you both. I'm Mrs Tyler, and here are your timetables." She handed the boys two pieces of paper, and Dean grinned when he noticed that he had two free periods today.

Sam thanked the woman for their timetables, before he walked away from the main desk with Dean, and towards a map of the school that was hung on the wall. "Where are you first?"

"Biology, then English. What about you?"

"English and History." Sam replied, his nerves only increasing now that he and Dean would be going to separate areas of the school. Biology was on the third floor, whereas English was in a separate block, at the other side of the school.

"I'll see you at lunch then. Have fun, Samsquatch." Dean smiled, "And if anyone gives you any trouble you let me know, okay?"

Sam nodded, "Yes, Dean."

"That's my boy." Dean smiled back, and he gave Sam an affectionate pat on the shoulder, before he made his way to class. Unlike Sam, Dean wasn't feeling nervous at all, because he saw school as an excuse to socialise with others -more specifically girls- than a time to study, like Sam did.

When he entered his Biology class, he noticed people sitting at wooden desks with gas taps towards the back of the desk. At the side of the classroom there were glass cabinets, filled with beakers, measuring cylinders and bunsen burners, all of which excited Dean.

The teacher turned around from what he was writing on the board and proceeded to look at Dean in disapproval, "Mr Winchester, it's nice of you to finally join us. You realise you're four minutes late?"

Dean shrugged, not caring whatsoever how late he was, and his opinion four minutes was nothing. "That's oddly specific. I might round it up to five next time." Dean joked, and a small smirk formed in the corner of his lips when the other students sniggered, which only earned Dean a hard glare from the teacher,

"Take your seat, get out your books and start copying this down." The teacher ordered in a threatening tone,

Dean smiled to himself as he made his way to one of the desks at the back of the classroom, which so happened to be next to a girl, who Dean considered to be pretty. She hand wavy black hair that sat a few inches below her shoulders, sparkling blue eyes and she was wearing a black t-shirt with a motif on that Dean couldn't quite see, along with a red and pink, plaid over-shirt and ripped jeans.

After a few more seconds of staring at the girl, Dean pulled his notebook out of his bag and began to copy down what was written on the board. He found it pointless, because Biology was in no way related to hunting, but for Sam's sake, Dean didn't want to get expelled from school on the first day, so he reluctantly copied down the notes. His handwriting was scruffy and barely readable, but Dean doubted if he would ever look at them again; the girl next to him, however, seemed to care more than he did.

"How can you read that?" She asked quietly,

Dean looked up at her with a small smile on his face, "I can't, that's the point."

The girl furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, "What?"

Dean chuckled quietly, shaking his head, "Nevermind. Anyway, I'm Dean."

The girl nodded, "Katie." She smiled back at Dean, her blue eyes meeting his green ones.

Their conversation was soon interrupted by the teacher placing a selection of trays on the long table at the front of the class, where nobody was sitting. "Now that you've all wrote that down, I would like you to partner off and dissect a heart, then after we'll write about your findings." The teacher explained, and Dean couldn't help but smile at the disgusted expressions on some of the girl's faces.

He turned to Katie, only to notice that she too was looking over at the trays in disgust, "I'm assuming you want me to get the tray." Dean suggested teasingly,

"Yes please." Katie replied quietly, making Dean chuckle once more. She was adorable.

"Okay, I'll be back in a minute." He smiled, before he stood up and made his way to the front of the class. The hearts didn't bother Dean whatsoever, because due to being in the hunting business, he had gotten used to gore and he had even seen human hearts on the odd werewolf case he went on with his father. He picked up one of the trays, along with two pairs of surgical gloves and a scalpel, before he made his way back to the table where Katie was waiting.

Dean placed the tray down on the table, moving it closer to Katie with a flirtatious smile, "Be my Valentine?"   
Katie squeaked and jumped up out of her seat, scrambling away from the heart, which only made Dean laugh.

"Dean! Don't be a douche." Katie pouted,

"Don't break my heart." He joked once more,

Katie rolled her eyes, but Dean could tell that she was struggling to hold back a smile. "How many heart puns can you make?" She teased,

"I don't know, but I'm pumping to try some more." Dean grinned,

Katie pinched the bridge of her nose as he shook her head slowly, "Just stop."

Dean leaned against the table, his ears poking up as he grinned at Katie, "Are you a coronary artery? 'Cause you're wrapped all around my heart." He joked flirtatiously, and this time Katie was unable to hold in her laughter for much longer,

"You're ridiculous." Katie rolled her eyes teasingly, unable to stop herself from smiling as she looked at Dean, her cheeks a light pink.

Dean dramatically put his hand over the left side of his chest, "That hurts, you should have a heart."

Katie gently punched Dean's arm, "How about we focus on the task?"   
Dean shrugged, "But that would be boring." He grinned, but upon catching the teacher's annoyed gaze Dean listened to Katie and focused on the task.

Dean took control of the dissecting, meanwhile Katie wrote down the notes. She offered to write because she said that Dean's handwriting was too messy, but Dean knew that the real reason was because she didn't want to touch the heart. Dean teased her about it a few times, as he found it adorable and it wasn't long before it was the end of the lesson.

Dean's next lesson was English, which he wasn't looking forward to at all, so when Katie told him that she too had English, Dean couldn't have felt more relieved.

Katie walked slightly ahead of Dean, who was purposely lagging behind. Katie stopped and turned around, "Come on, Dean. We'll never make it at this rate." She teased,

"That's the point." Dean joked, and when he didn't quicken his pace, Katie grabbed his sleeve and practically dragged him upstairs to class.

By the time they'd gotten to class everyone was already inside. Dean and Katie made their way to the back of the class, the both of them relieved that the teacher hadn't made any fuss over them being a few minutes late.

Dean put his notebook and pen on the table, then glanced at Katie as she brought out pencil case, notebook and a reading book. "Do you really need all of that?" Dean raised an eyebrow,

"Yes. Why? Don't you have a book?" Katie asked quietly,

"Nope. Well, I have a car magazine if that counts." He smiled when Katie rolled her eyes.

Despite Katie being in his class, Dean could've easily fallen asleep during English class. He swore, if he heard anyone mention something else about the importance of the semicolon he would punch someone. The teacher just seemed to give what seemed like a never ending speech on punctuation, which was followed by fifteen minutes of silent reading and a lecture on how important reading was. At the beginning of the lesson, Dean thought he liked this teacher but now his opinion on her was beginning to change.

Dean had never felt more relieved when he heard the bell that signalled the end of the lesson, and he was one of the first to leave the classroom.

"English isn't going to kill you, y'know." Katie teased once she'd joined Dean outside.

"You don't know that." Dean joked dramatically. "Anyway, I've gotta go and meet my little brother outside the cafeteria. Are you coming?" He asked. Even though he had met a girl who he liked, Dean never forgot about Sam; he wouldn't make that mistake again.

"Sure." Katie smiled, and a sudden nausea feeling overwhelmed Dean when he felt Katie's hand brush against his. "Oh..I'm sorry." Katie muttered, feeling as if she'd made things awkward between them,

"It's fine." Dean smiled as he nervously scratched the back of his neck, "Let's go to Heaven- I mean the cafeteria." He joked to ease the awkwardness,

Katie giggled quietly, "Okay." She then followed Dean in the direction of the cafeteria. Even though she had only spent two hours with Dean, it felt like he'd known him for a lifetime. He was handsome, funny and had apple green eyes that held so much care and affection that it was difficult not to get flustered when he looked at you. So many things about this boy was perfect to Katie and she hoped that he felt the same way about her.

The cafeteria was packed with students of all ages, so when Dean entered he wasn't sure where to look. There were two lines running up to the counter, students crowding around circular and rectangular tables, but Dean knew his brother. He knew that Sam wouldn't be with the popular or the rough kids, in fact Sam would be with a crowd of the complete opposite, one that doesn't like sitting where all of the other kids sit.

"How can you find your brother with all these people around?" Katie asked, having to raise her voice over the noise of other people talking.

"Oh I'll find him." Dean replied confidently as his eyes scanned over the cafeteria, until he spotted a quiet area where there wasn't many people. As he made his way towards the back of the cafeteria, Dean's eye rested on a boy who was sitting with his back to him. The boy had dark brown hair that was slightly longer than the boys around him and instantly Dean knew who that was.

He ran up behind the boy and quickly put his hands down on his shoulder, "Hey Sammy!" Dean exclaimed to announce his presence, and he soon burst into laughter when Sam jumped, obviously having not expected Dean to creep up on him.

"Dean!" Sam whined, punching his brother's shoulder, "Don't sneak up on me like that."

"Why not? It's funny." Dean grinned,  
Sam rolled his eyes, before he looked at Katie, "Who's your girlfriend?" He asked, smiling when both his brother and the girl blushed; it was obvious they liked each other at least, especially since they were standing so close together.

"S-she's not my girlfriend." Dean stammered, clearing his throat and ignoring Sam when he raised an eyebrow at him, "Anyway, tell me who your friend is?" Dean signalled to the curly haired boy who was sitting next to Sam, tactfully changing the conversation.

"That's Dan. You know, the boy who adopted Phil, the kid we saved from those shapeshifters a couple of years ago." Sam explained, leaning closer to Dean to whisper the word 'shapeshifters' to prevent Katie from overhearing.

"Oh." Dean nodded, before he gave Dan a gentle pat on the shoulder, "It's good to see you again. How's Phil doing?"

"He's good. He still finds it hard though." Dan replied,

Dean nodded once more, "That's understandable. It isn't easy losing your parents, but at least he's happy with you. Where is he anyway?"

"He's getting a wrap or something." Dan explained, craning his neck as he looked for Phil and smiling when he saw him emerge from the crowd, "Here he is."

"Hey." Phil spoke shyly as he sat down at the other side of Sam,

"Phil, I'm guessing you remember Dean, Sam's older brother." Dan explained, as he used his hand to signal to Dean,

"Hi Dean." Phil waved cutely,  
Dean smiled at Phil, "Hey buddy, it's good to see you again."

"Why don't you two grab some chairs and join us?" Dan suggested.

Dean looked at Katie to see what she wanted to do, and when he saw her nod he grabbed two chairs and sat down. Usually on the first day at school it would just be Sam and Dean sitting alone, but now it felt like the Winchesters actually had friends and had things to talk about, because it had been two years since either of them had seen Dan and Phil so they had a lot to catch up on. Of course, neither of the brothers would mention hunting in front of Katie and they assumed that Dan and Phil knew this too. Despite this, it was perfect though and both Sam and Dean were hoping that they would be at this school for a long time so they could spend longer with their friends.


	36. Unaffordable Attachments

After break Dean had Math class with Katie. Dean found it even more boring and confusing than English class, and it made him wonder why he had even agreed to attend school in the first place. Once again, Dean was relieved when the class was over and they could finally go to Dean's favourite time of the day; lunch.

He walked towards the cafeteria with Katie and when they got there, Dean turned to Katie and said, "What classes do you have this afternoon?" He had two free periods this afternoon, so he was hoping that Katie might too.

"Two free periods, but I was going to study." She replied,

Dean rolled his eyes, before he rested his arm against the wall, "I know something better than studying." He smiled flirtatiously.

"And what's that?" Katie asked,

"Hanging out with me. I have two free periods and I could really use the company." Dean grinned, a pleading glisten in his eyes,

Katie playfully rolled her eyes but smiled, "Okay, I guess studying can wait." She smiled, "Where are we going?"

Dean shrugged. He hadn't planned out exactly where they were going to go. "Wherever you want. I'm new to this place so if you know any good places then just say."

Before Katie had the chance to answer, Sam and Phil approached where they were both standing. Dean was glad that Sam had Phil -and Dan when he eventually joined them- as that meant he wouldn't be alone while he went out with Katie. 

"Hey." Sam spoke, 

"Hey Sammy." Dean greeted with a smile, which Sam soon returned, "Do you mind if Katie and I go out somewhere? I mean, you don't have a choice and you'll probably be relieved to have some nerdy time with your friends." Dean added jokingly,

"Sure, that's fine. Shall I meet you at the motel after school?" Sam asked, 

"Sounds good." Dean playfully ruffled Sam's hair, "I'll see you later, little brother." Dean grinned when Sam pushed his hand away. 

After saying his goodbyes to Sam, Dean lead Katie out of the main doors of the school. Summer was definitely around the corner, but despite the sunshine, Dean didn't take off his leather jacket. In his opinion, it was never too hot to wear a leather jacket, especially when he had a girl to impress. As he was walking, he ran his fingers through the front of his hair, trying to make it stick up slightly at the front; Dean didn't realise that Katie was smiling at him as he did this. That was until she said, "You look great, Dean." And at first Dean thought she was mocking him, but he smiled when he noticed a look of affection in her eyes, which suggested that she had told him the truth. 

Dean rubbed the back of his neck, which was now hot but not only because of the sun. "Um..Thanks." He stammered, and suddenly Katie held onto his arm, resulting in Dean's heart leaping against his chest, followed by a fluttering sensation in the pit of his stomach. This girl was definitely doing something to him; she made him feel a way that no other girl had done before. Dean didn't need to flirt very hard to win her over, as it seemed like he had already achieved that and that made him so happy that he forgot about his father's number one rule. 'Don't get too close to anybody, because when you do they'll get dragged into this mess too' 

Despite his father saying this, however, Dean was planning on keeping Katie as far away from hunting as he could, and much to his relief, she didn't appear to be the type of girl who would ask questions. 

As they were walking down the sidewalk, Dean kept giving Katie loving looks, of which she didn't notice. Dean just couldn't keep his eyes off her; he thought she was so beautiful. 

After a few minutes of walking, Dean came across a poster attached to a wooden sign, displaying a movie that was showing at the movie theatre. He wasn't sure what the movie was about, but he did know that people tended to watch movies when they were on a date. "Wanna go and see a movie?" Dean eventually asked, 

"So this is more like a date?" She teased, 

Dean shrugged, "If you want to put it that way." He grinned, before he lead Katie into the movie theatre. After he'd used his fake credit card to pay for their tickets, Dean made his way over to the food counter. They were selling a selection of different candy, popcorn and drinks. "Dammit, there's so much to choose from." Dean thought out loud.

"Food junkie much?" Katie teased,

"Well it is one of the seven wonders of the world." Dean joked back, not taking his eyes off of the popcorn machine, 

"You do know it isn't, right?" Katie smiled, 

"It should be." Dean grinned, as he quickly leaned over and gave Katie a kiss on the cheek.

Katie giggled softly, her cheek growing warmer and tingling slightly from where Dean had kissed it. Katie couldn't stop smiling and she tried to distract herself by focusing on what she what snacks she was going to buy, but right now, Dean seemed to be invading every thought. She liked him, there was no denying it, but having such a handsome boy falling for her seemed impossible. After all, she wasn't anybody special and Dean seemed too good for her. 

Katie was pulled out of her trail of thoughts when there was a sudden loud ringing and she looked up, only to find black smoke emerging from one of the popcorn machines, followed by the smell of burning. Dean, who was previously leaned against the counter was in the midst of a coughing fit as the smoke filled the air. "Dean, come on! We have to go!" Katie shouted, covering her mouth as he rushed towards Dean. She grabbed him arm and pulled him out of the movie theatre, following behind the crowds of people who were also rushing outside. 

When they got outside, Dean was still coughing, so Katie guided him onto a bench at the other side of the street, so that he was away from the smoke. She wrapped her arm around Dean's shoulders after she sat down on the bench, a worried look present on her face as Dean was still coughing. "Are you okay?" She asked, as he began to rub Dean's back gently to try and ease the coughing. 

Dean looked up at Katie when he finally stopped coughing. In all honest he felt weird, but he assumed that was because being dragged out of a possible fire reminded him of his mother's death; Dean was still haunted by those memories, even to this day. "Yeah, I'm good." Dean replied, as he ran his hand down the front of his face, accidentally wiping black soot down his face in the process.

Katie giggled softly, "Come here, messy." She teased, as she reached into her beige handbag and pulled out a tissue. When Dean went to take it from her, she pulled her hand away, "No, let me." She said, before she gently started to wipe the soot from Dean's face. 

"Why is it that girls have everything in their bags? It's like a bottomless bag that never runs out of stuff." Dean joked, 

Katie chuckled, "I don't know. We don't like to run out, I guess." After she had thrown the tissue away, Katie gave Dean a gentle kiss on his cheek as she sat down, "There you go, all clean."

Dean blushed a little and he opened his mouth to talk but no words came out. He cleared his throat, unsure why he suddenly felt so embarrassed. "Is it hot out here, or is it just me?" He jokingly used his hand to fan himself.

Katie rolled her eyes, shaking her head slowly in disbelief, "Wow Dean, so you resort to cheesy pick-up lines when you don't know what to say?" She teased, struggling to hold back a smile, 

Hiding his embarrassment, Dean raised his hand, clicked his fingers and pointed his index finger at Katie with a grin, "Too right." He joked back.

"Okay Romeo, how about we head back to mine and watch a movie there instead?" Katie suggested as she intertwined her fingers with Dean's. 

Dean glanced down at their fingers and smiled as he held Katie's hand. "Good idea." He smiled as he stood up. 

Katie's parents weren't home, so once they arrived at Katie's house the two of them went upstairs and lay on Katie's parents king size bed. Dean leaned against the pillows that were propped up against the headboard. His arm was wrapped around Katie's waist as she leaned against Dean's chest. There were packets of potato chips, candy and other snacks surrounding them as they watched the movie. Throughout this moment there was a small, content smile on Dean's face. He felt at peace here, as for once he was able to forget about the things that went bump in the night and focus on being with Katie. For once, he felt like a normal teenage boy. 

 

************ ************ ************

 

Sam had to make his own way home, which he didn't mind too much because Dan's dad gave him a lift to the motel, after Dean hadn't returned after half an hour. Thankfully, they had put the spare key underneath a plant pot outside their motel room. Now that Sam and Dean were getting older, they wanted to do different things. Dean preferred to stay out later after school, whereas Sam preferred to spend his time at a friend's house, at the library or in their motel room. Their father was fine with this as long as the boys took a spare key and their weapons to protect themselves, should they come across a supernatural creature. 

After saying goodbye to Dan and Phil, and thanking Dan's father, Sam collected the key from underneath the plant pot and entered their motel room. Sam had to cook his own dinner and clean up after himself. 

Sam spent the next couple of hour leaning against the cushions on his bed, reading his book. When Dean finally did return, Sam placed his book on his lap and smiled at his brother, who had a grin on his face. Sam knew that grin. It was the grin Dean had on his face when something exciting had happened. "Good afternoon?" Sam teased,

Dean's grin faded a little as he scratched the back of his neck, "What?"

"You were gone for ages. It's 7pm." Sam chuckled softly.

Dean glanced over at the clock on the bedside table, "Oops.." He shrugged, before sitting down on the edge of his bed, "Guess I lost track of time."

"What were you doing?" Sam asked curiously, 

"We went for a walk, then we went back to hers and watched a movie." He replied, leaving out the part about the movie theatre setting on fire, because he didn't want to worry Sam about it, as he assumed that it was a simple accident -or that's what Dean wanted to believe.

 

Sam pushed his book to the end of his bed and sat up, so that he was facing his brother. "Dean, is there something going on between you and Katie?" Sam asked. From how Dean bit his lip and looked away, Sam could tell that there was something going on. His brother may try to hide things, but Sam had grown up with him and learned how to read Dean without him even saying anything; therefore he knew when his brother was hiding something. "There is, isn't there? You like her." Sam grinned, "Don't worry, I won't tell dad." He added, this time not teasing Dean, because he knew how John didn't like them getting too attached to the people around them, because he there was always a higher chance of that person getting hurt or even killed. 

"What? N-No, I don't!" He stammered nervously, "She's just my friend, that's all." 

"You don't stare at friends like how you were staring at Katie in the cafeteria today." Sam pointed out, a smile remaining on his face.

Dean rubbed the back of his neck, which was only getting warmer. As much as he didn't want to admit it, Sam was right. Dean had been giving her heart eyes, flirting and hugging her on and off all day, and that definitely wasn't something that happened between friends. "Well..Maybe I do like her a little. But so what if I did? It isn't like we're in the meet a girl, get married and have kids life." Dean snapped. He wasn't annoyed with Sam, but more annoyed with their father, because despite actually liking hunting, deep down he did wish they could live a normal, happy life. 

Sam let out a sigh as he watched his brother grab what looked like a chocolate bar from the fridge. When there was something he didn't want to discuss, Dean would always get some food from the fridge or read a magazine, in hope that Sam would drop the topic; however, Sam wasn't about to let it drop so easily this time. "I know, but Dean, it isn't often that we meet people we get along with so well, and dad isn't supposed to be back for another week, so why not ask Katie out and make this one of the best weeks of your life? You're allowed to be happy too." Sam explained softly.

Dean nodded as he sat back down on his bed, pealing back the wrapper on his chocolate bar and breaking off a square. He ate his chocolate bar in silence for few minutes, before eventually saying, "But she's going to get hurt. She'll be heartbroken when we leave." 

"Dean, she'll be heartbroken even if you don't ask her out. But at least if you ask her out then you'll have some happy memories." Sam continued, 

"Yeah, we'll see." Dean replied stubbornly as he finished off his chocolate bar and left the wrapper on his bed. He then picked up his magazine and started reading it, trying to distract his mind from Katie. Despite not wanting to admit it, Dean knew that Sam was right. If Katie liked him in the same way he liked her, then she would be even more heartbroken if Dean didn't ask her out, because then she would think that Dean didn't like her. Either way, it would kill them both when Dean had to move towns; however, not only was Dean not used to putting his own happiness first, but he also had never seriously dated a girl before. He had flirted with them and gone to the theatre with them, but never had he asked one to be his girlfriend; therefore despite not showing it, Dean felt nervous.


	37. The Man in the Mirror

Despite his conversation with Sam and generally being confident around girls, even after a week Dean hadn't found the courage to ask Katie to be his girlfriend. Yes they'd held hands and kissed a couple of times, but it hadn't been made official yet; however, given that they would be staying at this school for another week, Dean decided to take the bull by its horns and do it today. 

It was third period and Dean had decided to ask Katie to be his girlfriend at lunchtime. He took a deep breath as he looked down at his watch, noticing that he only had ten minutes until lunchtime. Katie was in Art class and Dean had a free period, of which he'd spent half of the time in the bathroom. He had agreed to meet Katie in the yard, so they could have some privacy. Nervous didn't even describe how Dean was feeling right now. It was obvious that she liked him, even Sam could tell, but at the back of his mind, Dean was irrationally fearing Katie saying no. 

Dean ran his fingers through his hair, making it stick up more at the front than it usually did. He stood in front of the mirror, his hand resting on the sink. "Come on, Dean. Pull yourself together, it's only a girl, you fight demons for Gods sake." He muttered to himself, glad that there was nobody in the bathrooms, otherwise they would think he's gone crazy. 

As the clock ticked, his arms were shaking, his palms were sweaty and his stomach felt like a washing machine set to fast spin. "I can do this..." He repeated over and over again under his breath. He ran his hand down his face and he was about to pick up his bag to leave, when the air suddenly turned cold. A thin layer of frost formed on the three rectangular mirrors above the sinks; it was oddly cold in here for the end of April. 

A trail of mist escaped Dean's mouth as he looked around, "H-hello?" He shivered as he turned towards the mirrors. For a moment, Dean could've sworn that he saw an unknown face in the mirror, staring back at him. The face was dark and parts of its cheeks were missing; it looked as if it had been through centuries of torture, so Dean assumed that it was some kind of spirit. It had to be, because it was hot and sunny outside, not to mention it was the end of April, so it wouldn't make sense for it to be this cold in the bathrooms. 

Dean bent down to unzip his bag. Out of it he pulled his EMF meter and stuffed it into the pocket of his jacket. He then zipped up his bag and threw the strap over his shoulder before he left the bathroom. Even though he only had five minutes left until he met Katie, he was planning on hunting the ghost before it killed anybody. 

He made his way down the corridor to a quieter area of the school, and he was about to pull out his EMF meter when he heard a familiar voice say, "Hey Dean." He turned around, only to find Katie walking up from behind. 

Dean quickly put his EMF meter away and turned around, scratching the back of his neck. "Um..Hi, Katie. What are you doing? I thought you had class." He questioned, not expecting to see her out of class so early. 

"We got let out early, so I was going to use the bathroom before I went to meet you." She explained, 

"Okay, well I've got to go and pick something up from the main desk, so I'll meet you at break." Dean suggested; however, Katie didn't seem as willing to let him go.

"How about you wait for me and we can go together? I have to give a letter in to the office anyway." She suggested,

Dean looked at his watch, "I can't..I was supposed to give it in during my free, so I have to go before lunchtime. Sorry." He lied convincingly, before rushing off towards the office. Of course, when he was out of Katie's sight, Dean stopped and pulled out his EMF meter. He hated lying to Katie, as it didn't feel right, but he told himself that it was better to lie to her than tell her the truth about what he'd seen in the bathroom. 

He took another look around, and once he'd made sure that nobody was nearby, he pulled up the antenna on the meter and started scanning the nearby corridor for EMF. Dean sighed after a few minutes of not being able to find anything, so he put his EMF meter away and was about to turn around to go and look for Katie, when suddenly a loud ringing echoed through the halls. It was a fire bell. 

"You've got to be kidding me..." Dean cursed under his breath, before he followed the crowds of students towards the nearest fire exit. Anybody would assume that this was a drill, but only last week had Dean been caught in a fire, and now seeing a possible spirit in the mirror; Dean doubted if this was just some kind of coincidence. 

The fire assembly point was on the field at the back of the school. There were lines for each class and because of the large amount of students, it took Dean a while to locate his class. Once he had, however, he waited at the back of the line and to his left he noticed a familiar face. "Hey Sammy." Dean whispered,

Sam turned his head and smiled when he saw his brother, "Hi Dean." Was all he said, before he turned back to face the front. Sam wasn't ignoring Dean, he just didn't want to get into trouble for talking, as they were told to be quiet during a fire-drill. 

"Aren't you talkative this afternoon." Dean teased, his ears poking up slightly as he smiled.

"Winchester, please be quiet." A teacher interrupted from the front of Dean's line.

Sam gave Dean a look which said, "I told you so." causing Dean to roll his eyes at him in response. 

Both of the boys remained silent as they watched teachers filing out from one of the exits of the school, some looking stressed, some worried and some in the midst of a coughing fit. Sam and Dean exchanged worried glances, before they turned to the front when the principal cleared his throat to get everyone's attention. "Thank you all for coming down here quietly. I would like to say that this wasn't a drill. One of the ovens in the cooking room set on fire, but we have it under control now." The principal explained, which only made Dean grow more suspicious; something was going on here and he had to find out what. Dean zoned out for the rest of the principal's speech, that was until he heard the words, "You are dismissed." 

As soon as the other students went their separate ways, Dean joined Sam and Dan -who was also a part of Sam's class. "We should find Phil." Dean suggested, and as if on cue he heard a small voice from behind him say, 

"I'm here."

When he turned around he noticed Phil standing behind them, his eyes filled with fear as he looked at the three boys. "Are you okay?" Dean asked, bending down slightly so he was at Phil's height. 

"I..Yeah, I'm fine." Phil replied, and neither of the boys notice his hesitation. 

"Okay. Now we just need to find your girlfriend." Sam smiled knowingly at Dean, but this time Dean didn't return the same smile or tell Sam to shut up, instead his expression dropped, causing Sam to raise an eyebrow at him, "What is it?" Sam asked, confused by his brother's reaction.

"Katie. She was in the bathroom.." Dean trailed off as his eyes scanned the field, growing more worried when he couldn't see her, "Dammit, where is she?" 

"Maybe she went to our meeting place." Sam suggested, and without saying another word, Dean sprinted towards the bench where he'd agreed to meet Katie. Sam was confused as to why Dean was in such a rush, because as far as he knew, it was just a fire that the teachers had prevented before it got worse; they wouldn't be allowed inside the school if there was any danger. 

Dean ran his fingers through his hair as he turned in a full circle, before searching behind any surrounding trees and bushes. He was soon joined by Sam, Dan and Phil, who were each confused as to Dean's panic. 

"She could've gone to get some food." Dan suggested, "I'm sure if we wait here then she'll show up." He added, and Dean would've taken notice of that suggestion if it wasn't for the conversation that was taking place not far from where the four boys were standing.

"Wait here." Dean suggested, before he made his way over to the teacher who was talking to a girl, who looked to be around Katie's age. 

"I know what I saw." A girl cried, 

"And what was that?" He asked, a hint of seriousness in his voice, which showed that this time he wasn't going to joke around to tease the girl.

"You won't believe me. You'll just make fun of me." The girl wiped her tears away, and Dan bit his lip as he gently placed his hand on her shoulder, 

"Try me." He spoke softly in an attempt to copy what his father had taught him when it comes to interviewing witnesses. 

"I-it looked like a man. I was talking to K-Katie when h-he showed in..in the mirror." The girl attempted to explain through tears, and that was enough for Dean to know that something supernatural was going on. 

"Where's Katie now?" He asked, a lump forming in his throat when the girl burst into violent sobs; now he had a horrible gut feeling that something had happened to her. 

Before anything else could be said, Dean was already on his way to the bathrooms. He had to see for himself if Katie was okay. There were paramedics and crying teachers standing at the entrance to the girl's bathroom. Dean pushed past them, ignoring them when they told him to stay back. 

A police officer was towering over something, that was in the process of being covered over by a white sheet. "I'm sorry, this is a crime scene. You aren't allowed here." The officer spoke firmly. 

Dean ignored his request and attempted to push past him, and as he did he caught a glimpse of something that made his heart break into millions of pieces. Katie was lay on the floor, her body a ghostly white, her throat slit and her eyes closed; she was dead. "No..Katie!" Dean shouted, tears forming in his eyes as his expression dropped, and this time he didn't fight against the officer who was pushing him out of the room. Dean didn't want to believe it, but part of him knew it was true. Katie was dead and there was nothing that Dean could've done about it. 

Dean pulled his arm away from the officer and stormed outside. Sadness and guilt were washing over him, as he felt like her death was his fault. He should've waited for her, he shouldn't have lied to her and most of all, Dean was regretting not telling her the truth. She died not knowing his true feelings and that was killing Dean. 

Dean ignored Sam when he called his name and he walked off to an empty classroom, as he wanted to be alone. He slammed the door as hard as he could behind him, and he kicked one of the blue, plastic chairs over that had been carelessly left in the middle of the room. "Dammit Dean, you idiot! You should've protected her." He spat hatred towards himself; he was too angry at himself at the moment to think about what could've killed her. 

It wasn't long before he heard the door open, and he instantly put on a strong mask when he saw Sam standing in the doorway, not wanting Sam to see how distraught he was. 

"Dean, I heard about what happened to Katie..." Sam began, his voice soft and holding a certain amount of comfort, 

"Right." Was all Dean said, before he turned away from his brother and stared blankly out of the window.

"They're letting us go home. Dan and Phil have already left, so we should probably go too." Sam suggested, knowing that being here wouldn't help Dean whatsoever. 

"That's good, you should go." Dean spoke, his voice cold and empty; it didn't hold the happy and carefree sense of humour it once had.

"What are you going to do?" Sam asked, 

"I'm waiting until the cops go." Dean replied simply, 

Sam sighed, "Dean, if you're thinking about staying because of Katie then that's stupid. You'll feel better if you come back to the motel."

"No." Dean replied simply, turning to push passed Sam when Sam stepped in his way,

"Dean, just talk to me." Sam pleaded as he gave his brother a puppy dog eye expression, "Please."

"There's nothing to talk about, I'm fine." Dean replied stubbornly, and this time he succeeded in pushing passed Sam; however, Sam wasn't willing to let him go easily so he followed him. 

"Dean, wait. You aren't fine. You tell me not to hide things from you, but now you're doing the opposite." Sam attempted to encourage his brother as he ran around to the front of him, forcing Dean to stop in the corridor. 

"Just leave me alone, Sam. I'm not going to sit in the motel and have a therapy session where we hug, talk about our feelings and cry together. It isn't happening!" Dean snapped, before pushing Sam to the side and eventually walking away. 

Sam let out a deep sigh as he watched his brother walk away. Despite Dean saying so, Sam could tell that he was far from being okay and he wished he would talk to him about it, rather than bottling up his feelings and letting them out through anger. Sam wasn't sure where Dean was going, but he knew better than to follow him, because that would only result in dean snapping at him again, and Sam knew that he would return to the motel when he's ready. 

After collecting his bag from his locker, Sam left school; however, instead of going straight home he chose to make a detour to the local store. If there was one thing that Dean liked then that would be food. Sam had been around Dean long enough to realise just how much Dean enjoyed certain foods, especially those of the fried variety. Sam himself wasn't too keen on fried food, as he preferred healthy meals, such as salad, but given Dean's low mood, Sam decided to surprise him by making dinner for Dean. 

From the store he purchased two cheeseburgers, some fries, onion rings and an apple pie for dessert. He had watched Dean enough to know how the oven worked, so this couldn't be too difficult, right?


	38. An Absent Father

Once he'd gotten back to the motel, Sam prepared the dinner. It didn't take him very long to figure out how to use the oven, and once he had he placed the two burgers in a pan he placed it on the stove. As the burgers were cooking, Sam set out two wooden place mats on the table, along with some cutlery. He poured Dean a glass of soda and poured himself a glass of apple juice, which he also placed on the table. 

When he noticed that the burgers were beginning to turn a light brown, Sam put the onion rings and fries on a tray, before sliding the tray into the oven and closing the door. He had never cooked anything before -except for the odd microwave meal when his brother wasn't around- so Sam did feel nervous about using an oven without anybody's supervision, but he wanted to cheer Dean up and show him that he was capable of being independent, so he told himself he could do it as giving up wasn't an option. 

All of a sudden the phone started ringing, but Sam didn't answer it the first time. Instead he let it ring and waited for it to ring a second time. One of John's rules were not to answer the phone unless it rings once first. This was so that no enemies would be able to track where they were, because only their father kept the number to their motel room, not even Bobby knew it. The Winchesters had code words for many other things, some of which the boys had thought of on their own. For example, 'Poughkeepsie' was their code word for 'Drop everything and run'; 'Something stuck to my shoe' was a code word that the Winchesters used when one of them was being followed; 'Funkytown' was a word the boys used when the other was in trouble; and 'Five-O' was a word the brothers used when there were police around. These words -and phrases- came in useful quite often, especially now that the boys were beginning to hunt together. 

Sam lifted the phone off of the holding stand after he heard it ringing a second time. "Dad?"

"Hey Sammy. Where's your brother?" John asked, 

"He's out at the moment, but he'll be back soon." Sam replied, leaving out the part about him being upset over Katie's death. 

"Okay, can you give him a message when he comes back?" John requested

"Sure." Sam replied simply, this time obeying his father's orders.

"Great. Tell him I won't be back tonight." 

"But dad, it's father's day." Sam argued before his father had the chance to say anything else. Due to the traumatic events of the day, Sam had forgotten about it being father's day. Usually the Winchesters didn't celebrate it, but this year Sam's class had been make Father's day cards, so Sam had decided to make a card for John, even though they didn't always see eye to eye.

John sighed, "I thought we'd been through this. We have better things to do than celebrate silly holidays."

"But dad-" Sam attempted to speak but he ended up getting cut off by John, 

"Look Sam, I don't have time for this. Now are you going to tell your brother that or not?" John snapped, his voice firm but despite this Sam continued to argue with his father,

"But why aren't you coming home tonight?" 

"Because I'm not, alright?! Just tell your brother that I'll be back in the morning." Was all John said before he ended the call, knowing that he wouldn't get anywhere if Sam kept arguing. 

Sam sighed as he shoved the phone back onto its hook. He was angry with his father for once again letting them down, as he was planning on giving him his Father's day card when he got home. Sam was soon dragged out of his trail of thoughts when a strong burning small filled the air. His eyes widened and he rushed over to the oven, where smoke was emerging from the door. He quickly turned off the oven, before opening the door and he waved his hand in front of his face when smoke filled the air; luckily he had gotten there in time before he could start a fire. However, much to his disappointment, the onion rings and fries were now burned. "Great..." Sam muttered, annoyed with himself for not being careful.

Sam grabbed a towel and took the tray out of the oven, placing it on the counter before he turned the stove off. As he was about to take the burgers out of the pan and place them on the buns -that Sam had already put on his and Dean's plate- Sam heard the lock on the motel room door click. He watched as his brother dragged his feet into the motel room. Sam wasn't sure what Dean had been doing, but from his lack of comment on the burning smell only raised alarm bells for Sam. "Dean?" Sam said, forming when his attempt at talking to Dean failed. 

Dean still didn't feel like talking or even teasing Sam for that matter. In fact he didn't feel like doing anything, so he trudged into the bathroom and slammed the door behind him. His hands were trembling as he rested them on the sink, which he was no leaning against as he stared at his reflection in the mirror. Through the cracks of his brave shell, there was a broken expression present, one that made him seem like a small, vulnerable boy rather than the strong, fearless hunter that his father intended for him to be. 

Dean blinked rapidly when he thought he saw Katie's reflection in the mirror. He looked behind him, but as expected nobody was there. He turned back to the mirror and splashed his face with cold water from the tap, assuming that he must be seeing things. "I'm going crazy.." He muttered, only looking up when he heard a high pitched but soft voice say his name. "H-hello?" Dean looked around, and for a moment he began to wonder if it was Katie's ghost; however, he soon banished that thought because he of all people should know that primary signs of ghost activity, and none of those were present. 

Dean was about to walk away when he caught another glimpse of Katie in the mirror, and this time it stayed there. "Katie?" Dean whispered in disbelief. 

"Yes, it's me." She replied, her voice echoing, almost sounding ghost-like, 

"Katie, I-I am so sorry." Dean replied, his voice filled with guilt. 

Katie scoffed, "Spare it. I trusted you and you lied to me. This is your fault. If you had told me the truth then I would still be alive. You could've stayed with me, Dean, but you didn't. You were too focused on hunting, and now look what's happened. You aren't a hero. You're just a scared boy, who is nothing but a soldier who follows his daddy's orders. You don't care about anybody other than Sam." Something sounded different about Katie. She had been a nice, understanding girl, who always took it upon herself to help others; however, in his irrational state of mind, Dean couldn't help but believe every word she's saying.

"That's not true. I loved you, I was going to ask you out!" Dean shouted, a single tear escaping his watery eyes and escaping down his cheek. 

"You can't afford attachments, Dean, you know that. But still, I loved you and I died thinking that you won't ever love me the way I loved you. Is that really how you show you love someone, by making them think you don't like that?" A small smirked caused the corner of Katie's mouth to curve up, 

"N-no. And I'm sorry, okay? I never wanted this to happen, I wanted you to be safe!" Dean raised his voice which cracked as he spoke, 

"Well you failed at that, just like you fail at protecting Sam." Katie continued, 

"Shut up.." Dean spoke through gritted teeth, as he tried everything he could to keep himself together. 

"You try, Dean, you really do, but face it it isn't enough. Sam's going to leave you then what will you have left? Just a lump of metal, and a father who is nothing but a shell driven by revenge." Katie spat and that was what finally made Dean snap, 

"I said shut up!" He yelled as he swung his fist at the mirror, shattering it and cracking his knuckles in the first place. 

Dean's breathing was heavy and not to mention very uneven, he had tears falling down his cheeks and a heartbroken look on his face. He hadn't even heard the door open, that was until he heard a quiet voice saying his name, "Dean?" This voice was different. It wasn't Katie's, but it held the same amount of softness. 

In all honesty, seeing his brother in this state was a scary thing for Sam to witness, but Dean had nobody except for him right now, so Sam tried his hardest to remain strong. "Dean..." Sam repeated quietly as he closed the bathroom door behind him and made his way over to his brother. 

Dean didn't want Sam to see him like this, because he was supposed to be the strong one who Sam could always rely on; he wasn't supposed to cry and be the one who relied on other people. "I-I'm fine, Sam." Dean attempted to pull himself together, but through the cracks of his usual strong mask, Sam could see an unbearable amount of pain. 

"No you're not, and you don't have to pretend that you are, Dean. I know how you felt about Katie-" Sam got cut off by Dean, 

"This isn't about Katie, now leave me alone." Dean snapped, as he kept his back to Sam.

This time, however, Sam didn't back down, because Dean had already cracked his knuckles so Sam didn't want things to get worse. He sighed as he took a step towards his brother, "Dean, please. You've already broken the mirror, and that alone is enough to tell me that you're not okay. So talk to me." Sam begged, putting on his best puppy dog face when Dean eventually turned around and looked at him. "You can't contain this forever."

As much as Dean didn't want to admit it, Sam was right. He was on the edge of dissolving into a puddle of tears, but at the same time his heart felt numb. Dean's instincts were telling him to pull himself together, go out there and hunt the thing that killed Katie, because he knew that John wouldn't approve of how pathetic he's acting right now. "I-it's my fault, Sammy..." Was all Dean murmured, his voice breaking and trailing off into almost an inaudible sound. 

He sat down on the lid of the toilet and he didn't look at Sam when he felt a hand touch his shoulder. "No it isn't. You couldn't have done anything." Sam explained softly, glad when Dean didn't push his hand away. Sam knew that Dean didn't like to be hugged and fussed over, so he settled with simply making comforting circular motions on his back. 

"S-she asked me to wait for her and I didn't. I saw a face in the mirror, the air went cold, but I didn't warn her about it." Dean spoke as he stared blankly at the floor,

"Everybody makes mistakes. You didn't want to tell her our secret, so you lying to her was the best option at the time. You did it to keep her safe." 

Dean scoffed, "Yeah, and look how that turned out." He spoke sarcastically, his elbows resting on his thighs as he put his head in his hands, "I screwed everything up. She died not knowing how I felt about her." He muttered sadly, suddenly finding himself opening up more to Sam than he had initially intended. 

"I'm sure she had a pretty good idea about how you felt." Sam began, "The way you kept staring at her, hugging and holding hands with her, it was easy to guess. You two were practically dating before either of you knew it." He continued, using the usual soft tone of voice he always uses when comforting someone. 

Dean nodded before he wiped the tears away that had escaped down his cheeks, his eyes still watery as he was fighting to hold the tears back. "Here." He heard Sam say and Dean muttered a "Thank you" as he took the tissue from his brother. 

After wiping his eyes using the tissue, Dean threw it into the small trash can that was next to the toilet. Now that he had calmed down he noticed the glass sticking out of his knuckles, along with blood running down the back of his hand. Sam too noticed this, so he grabbed some bandages from the glass cabinet, attached to the wall. "I'll be fine, Sam. I don't need bandages." Dean pointed out stubbornly when he saw Sam returning to him with some bandages and tweezers, to get the glass out of his hand. 

"Yes you do, otherwise it's going to get infected." Sam replied simply, 

Dean rolled his eyes, "What are you? A doctor?" He joked,

Sam smiled, "I kind of have to be now with you around." He teased as he placed the box of bandages on the edge of the sink and grabbed the tweezers, "Now stay still while I do this. It may hurt a little." Sam pre-warned Dean, even though pain often didn't bother him. Due to hunting, the Winchesters had gotten so many injuries over the years that they had learned to put up with pain caused by injuries. 

Dean winced only slightly at the pain as Sam carefully pulled out the first piece of glass. He kept his arm still as he rested it against his leg. If Dean was alone or there was somebody else with him -who he didn't know very well- then Dean would've stubbornly dealt with the injury by himself. This was because he only trusted two people with his injuries, and those were Sam and John. Dean had always been the one to deal with Sam's injuries, which meant that Sam had watched him and now knew how to deal with cuts or gashes of any size, which came in handy when Dean was the one who needed taken care of. 

Dean was relieved when Sam prised the final piece of glass out of his hand, because despite the pain not bothering him, it was still very uncomfortable to be poked in the hand with tweezers. Now that the glass was out, however, more blood started to ooze out of the cuts on Dean's knuckles. "I can put the bandages on." Dean suggested, 

Sam was just as stubborn as Dean, however, so he was persistent on the idea of seeing to the wounds himself. "I can do it, but first we need to make sure the cuts are clean." Sam explained, before leaving the room and going straight for his father's alcohol, which was stored in the cupboard above the fridge. The Winchester's couldn't always afford to buy antiseptic wipes or cream, so they made do with the resources they already had, which in this case it was alcohol. 

Sam returned to the room with the bottle of alcohol and a clean cloth. He poured some alcohol onto the cloth before carefully dabbing it over Dean's wounds. He looked at his brother every time he heard him take a sharp intake of breath. Sam hated hurting his brother, but he knew that the alcohol would be helping the wound so he continued dabbing it gently, until he was certain that it was clean. And when it was, Sam placed the bottle of alcohol on the floor, before he collected the bandages. When he turned back to Dean, he rolled his eyes when he saw him taking a sip of alcohol out of the bottle. 

"What? I'm thirsty." Dean defended, unable to hold back a smile at the disapproving look on his brother's face; anybody would think that Sam was the older brother in this situation. 

Sam snatched the bottle from Dean's hands, placing it on the cabinet so that it was out of his reach. He then began to apply the bandages to Dean's hand, trying to be as careful as he could not to hurt Dean. 

Dean watched Sam for a moment as he applied the bandages, before he looked up at his brother with a wide grin on his face, which made his ears poke up at the side; this look was a classic sign that Dean was about to tease Sam. "So tell me, why does it smell like there's been a fire in here?" He asked, 

Upon hearing this, Sam instantly looked away from Dean, worried that he would disappoint him because he hadn't cooked the dinner properly. "You were sad, so I wanted to cheer you up by cooking dinner, then dad called and we kind of had an argument.." Sam attempted to explain, 

Dean smiled. He found it nice that Sam would go through all of that trouble just to make him happy. Yes, he did it for Sam all the time, but he never in a million years would've expected Sam to do the same for him. Dean placed his good hand on Sam's shoulder, "Hey, you did your best. And I bet it's still edible, just slightly charcoaled." Dean joked in an attempt to cheer Sam up, 

Sam managed a small smile, "I think I'll leave the cooking to you next time." He joked back as he finished applying the bandages to Sam's hand. 

"Good idea." Dean smiled, before he gave Sam a gentle pat on the back, "Thanks, Sammy. Now about we go and try your cooking, little master chef." He suggested as he lead Sam out of the bathroom.


	39. Break In

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((Warning: Mention of suicide, but only briefly mentioned during a scene where the brothers are doing research.))

In all honesty Sam felt disappointed with himself and it wasn't like he could hide the fact that he'd burned half of their dinner, because the smell of smoke gave it away instantly. Not wanting to mess anything else up, he stood back and allowed Dean to take the burgers out of the pan. He was glad that his brother didn't appear to be angry with him, but he knew that their father would be if he found out about this. This sparked fear inside Sam, because he still hated it when his father was angry. 

"Dean, what do we tell dad about this?" Sam eventually asked quietly, as he absentmindedly fiddled with the bottom of his plaid shirt. 

Dean honestly hadn't considered what their father would do when he finds out that Sam almost set fire to the oven. Part of him knew that he would be mad, but he didn't want to scare Sam by telling him this. "I'm sure it'll be okay. Dad isn't supposed to be home for another hour, so we'll have time to clear this mess up after dinner." Dean suggested, 

"Actually, dad called while you were out and said he isn't coming back until the morning. That's what distracted me." Sam explained, 

"Well that's better actually. If we leave a window open and close it before we go to bed then the smell should be gone by morning." Dean assured Sam, even though he also wished that John would be home tonight so he could tell him about Katie's death. Now that he had calmed down, Dean could think properly and he assumed that whatever killed Katie must have been supernatural. 

Once Dean had finished preparing the burgers, he carried both his and Sam's plates over to the table, which was still set out how Sam had left it. On his burger, Dean had put layers of melted cheese and tomato ketchup, whereas on Sam's he had put some cheese along with some lettuce and cucumber. Despite often teasing Sam about his healthy eating habits, Dean still made sure Sam had what he wanted. 

When Sam sat down, Dean took a bite out of the burger and let out a satisfied groan. "This is so good! I'm going to have to make you cook more often." He grinned, which only made Sam smile, happy that Dean was still enjoying the meal, despite his mistakes. 

They were no more than ten minutes into dinner when they heard the phone ring again. The brothers exchanged glances, and it wasn't until they heard it ring a second time that Dean realised who it was. "Is it too much to ask to enjoy a cheeseburger in peace?" Dean sighed as he put his burger down and answered the phone, "Dad, I thought you weren't going to be home until morning?" Dean asked upon hearing his father's voice. 

Sam furrowed his eyebrows as he listened to Dean's conversation. It didn't make much sense to Sam, because all Dean was saying was, "Yes sir." But from that Sam assumed that their father must be giving Dean instructions. Their father would often ask to talk to Dean whenever he had to tell them something important to tell them, because unlike Sam, Dean would never question their father and he would always carry out his orders. 

Sam finished his burger in silence until he saw Dean put the phone down. "What did dad want?" Sam asked, 

"He heard about K-Katie, and he wants us to investigate the school tonight." Dean explained, as he made his way over to his bed to start packing. 

"Why tonight? Why not tomorrow morning? It's getting dark outside." Sam questioned, 

"That's the point. That way nobody will see us walking around school with an EMF detector." Dean explained as he shoved his salt gun into the waistband of his jeans. 

Sam furrowed his eyebrows as he looked at his brother, "But how will we get in? The school's locked at this time of day." 

"That's why we're bringing this." Dean grinned, holding up a safety pin. 

"We're going to break in? Dean that's illegal!" Sam exclaimed, shocked that Dean would even suggest breaking into a school. He was aware that their father often broke into buildings to investigate while working a case, but Sam himself had never done it before and he hoped that he would never have to. 

Dean shrugged, "Our whole job is pretty much illegal. How else do you think dad gets money? It isn't like he works down at the local bakery." Dean rolled his eyes at Sam's confused expression, "Hustling pool and credit card fraud, Sammy. Works every time." Dean grinned, amused by his brother's shock. 

After packing his small duffel-bag full of weapons, Dean grabbed the keys to their motel room before he left the motel with Sam. Even though he still felt hungry, Dean had left half of his burger because his mind was now focused on what John wanted him to do. Not even the cold air bothered him when he stepped outside, and the quietness of the street counteracted with the thoughts going through Dean's mind. Their father had not only asked them to break into a school to investigate, but it so happened to be the very school where Katie had been murdered. Dean knew that it would bring back painful memories and not to mention guilt that he had shut out since he broke down in front of Sam earlier. Of course, Dean would never show how he truly felt in front of Sam, because he didn't want to worry him, so he tried his best focus on the task at hand. 

Once the school came into view, Dean grabbed the sleeve of Sam's jacket and pulled him behind a bush. He then reached into his duffel bag and pulled out two flashlights, handing one of them to Sam, "That will come in handy, but don't turn it on until we get inside, otherwise someone might see us." Dean explained in no more of a whisper, giving Sam a small, reassuring smile when he saw how nervous he looked, "It'll be okay, I've done this with dad before." 

Sam nodded, once again placing his trust in his brother, "Okay."

With Sam following close behind him, Dean crouched down and stayed in the shadows as he sneaked through a gap in the bushes and made his way around to the entrance of the school. Luckily, the only houses nearby with lights on had their curtains drawn, so Dean didn't feel as worried about getting caught. 

Dean signalled to Sam to stay hidden behind a trash can nearby as he walked up the three steps to the front doors. He took one look over his shoulder, checking to see if anybody was nearby and once the coast was clear, he pulled the safety pin out of his pocket and inserted it into the lock, turning it until he heard a click. "Bingo." He whispered to himself, before turning to Sam and smiling, "We're in." He mouthed to Sam with a proud smile. He knew that other teenagers would be proud of winning their first sport's game, getting a good grade on their report card or passing their driving test, but the Winchester's lives were far from normal and Dean had begun to accept that. 

Dean held the door open for Sam and once they were both inside they turned on their flashlights and Dean grabbed his EMF meter and a salt gun from his bag. When he handed it to Sam, he noticed that Sam's eyes were darting around the corridors, obviously searching for the ghost. Dean sighed under his breath, "We'll be fine and once this is over we can go back to the motel and watch a movie." Dean reassured Sam once more, hoping that the suggestion of watching a movie would take Sam's mind off the hunt. 

"I like the sound of that." Sam managed a small smile, 

"So do I, as long as it isn't some geek movie." Dean joked, before he turned serious, "Okay, I say that we split up. One of us can search the bathroom and the other can search the records in the principal's office to see if anybody died bloody in the school." He suggested, 

"I don't want to go to the bathrooms.." Sam spoke quietly, wanting to stay as far away from the scene of the crime as he could, just in case the ghost was to make an appearance. 

Dean had already guessed that Sam would want to go to the principal's office, but he decided to have some fun with Sam to distract him further. "I'm not going to the bathroom." Dean replied, "I know a way to settle this." He grinned as he raised his fist above the palm of his other hand. 

"It's on. Winner goes to the principal's office." Sam smiled, beginning to get competitive as he copied Dean's actions. Whenever the brother's played rock, paper, scissors Sam almost always won, but this time he was more determined that ever to win. 

"Okay, on the count of three." Dean smirked, 

"One, two, three." Both brother's said confidently, as they hit their fists against the palm of their hands. Dean displayed scissors as Sam displayed rock, making Sam the winner. 

"Yes!" Sam exclaimed, unable to stop grinning after seeing the defeated look on his brother's face, 

"I hate that game." Dean muttered, before he started to make his way down the hallway to the right of them, which was the most direct way to the bathrooms. Once he was out of view of Sam, Dean smiled a little to himself. Even though he could get quite competitive and hated losing, it was worth it to see his brother happy. Dean knew Sam well enough to know what move he would make, so when they were on a hunt and had to split up, Dean would make sure that Sam would win at rock, paper, scissors so he wouldn't have to go to a dangerous place. Of course Dean would never tell Sam this, because he wanted him to believe that Dean was terrible at the game - in all honesty he wasn't the best, but Dean would never admit that- but seeing Sam happy when he claimed victory never failed to bring a smile to Dean's face. 

The principal's office wasn't far from the main entrance to the school. It was only down a nearby corridor and to the right; however, despite this, Sam still felt nervous, because this was the first time he'd broken into anywhere. 

Sam's nerves soon faded when he got distracted by some pictures that were hung on the wall leading to the principal's office. They were pictures of past students who had attended the school. One picture in particular stood out to Sam, because he was almost certain he recognised the person in it. She had wavy, blonde hair that sat just below her shoulders, blue eyes and was wearing a light blue shirt over the top of a white t-shirt, and in her arms were some books. Only half of her body was in the shot, so Sam was just about able to read what was written on the front of one of the books. 'Mary Campbell' was written in neat handwriting, and just reading that name gave Sam a pang in his chest. That was his mother's name. 

Sam soon remembered that he wasn't here to look at pictures, as he knew that John would be mad if they returned to the motel without any information, so Sam made a mental note to tell Dean about the photo of their mother, before he finally entered the principal's office. Once inside, he made his way over to one of the metal filing cabinets and opened the first drawer. Inside there were a stack of envelopes and Sam would've disregarded them and closed the draw if he hadn't noticed his classmate's name on one of the envelopes. Curious, Sam lifted out the stack of envelopes. On the back of each one was a name of somebody in his class and Sam flicked through them until he finally got to his name at the back of the pile. He took a quick look around, before sliding his finger along the top of the envelope to open it. He then pulled out a piece of paper which he unfolded. At the top of the paper were the words 'Sam Winchester's Report Card.' Sam had received a few report card in the past and he was yet to get a bad one. 

Sam's eyes scanned over the report card and a smile spread across his face when he noticed that he'd gotten A's in all of his classes, except for English which he received an A* for. Excitement brewed inside Sam as he pocketed the report card, unable to wait to show his brother, who without a doubt would be proud at him. There was no denying that Sam felt bad about stealing from the principal's office, but he knew that after this case is over they wouldn't be returning to this school, so there was no other way Sam could get it. 

Sam closed the drawer of the filing cabinet, before moving to the cabinet next to it when he noticed that it was labelled 'Student Records'. Sam sighed when he opened the drawer and noticed just how many student records there were. "This is going to take me all night to look through this." He complaining, hating this job already. He skipped the records of any current students and started looking at the records of students who no longer attended the school. Thankfully he didn't have to look through the whole record and only had to look at the first page, where it told him if the student had graduated, left, had been expelled or was deceased. 

Much to Sam's relief, Dean came to help him after he'd finished searching the bathrooms, so a job that would've taken him until morning, only took him a couple of hours. In total they found only 3 files that belonged to deceased students. One student died after falling down two flights of stairs, another died of cancer and the third committed suicide, but nobody was murdered on the school site.

Dean sighed, "Well that was a complete waste of our time. Nobody got murdered here." He complained as he leaned back on the principal's chair that he had sat in when his legs started to get tired of standing up. Dean furrowed his eyebrows and kicked the back of Sam's leg gently when his brother didn't respond to him, "Hey Samsquatch, I was talking to you." 

"Yeah." Sam replied, not really much attention to Dean as he looked through one of the files of the three deceased students. 

Dean stood up and walked around to the side of his brother, "What are you looking at that could be so important that you ignore your big brother?" He asked, before raising an eyebrow at Sam when he saw him looking over the file that belonged to the student who committed suicide. 

Sam ignored Dean's question and placed the file down on the principal's desk so they could both read it. "Okay, so get this, this boy committed suicide in 1987 due to extreme bullying. He was quiet, an only child and enjoyed being at the library during lunchtimes." Sam explained, 

Dean nodded as he looked down at the case file, before folding his arms across his chest, "So he was an easy target." He finished Sam's sentence, "That makes sense, but the bullies weren't the ones who killed him, he killed himself." Dean added, 

"Yeah, but I remember dad saying once that angry spirits aren't just born from deaths caused by murder, but suicide as well." Sam explained, 

Dean nodded before he gave Sam a pat on the shoulder, "Nice work, Sammy." He smiled, feeling proud of his little brother, "I say we take a copy of this file and take it back to the motel so dad can look at it in the morning." Dean suggested, as he picked up the file and made his way over to the scanner. "Now how does this thing work?" He muttered to himself. 

Sam couldn't help but smile when he saw Dean struggle with the photocopier; however, something else soon caught his attention. There was a silver locket lay on the principal's desk and Sam picked it up to have a closer look. There was a sliver heart engraved into the front of it with the writing, 'Mr and Mrs Lester, 1986' engraved into the back. "Hey Dean, isn't Lester Phil's surname?" Sam asked, before he turned around, only to find his brother struggling with the photo copier. 

"Is that really important now, Sam?" Dean asked, as he kicked the bottom of the photo copying machine, "Dammit, this stupid thing!" He cursed, clearly frustrated with being unable to operate it. 

"Dean, you realise that kicking it isn't going to work." Sam chuckled quietly as he made his way over to the photo copier, "Have you tried pressing this?" He asked signalling to a green button that displayed the word 'Enter' in white writing. But before Dean could answer, Sam pressed the button and he grinned in triumph when the photo copier started to copy what they needed. 

"Know it all." Dean teased as he gave Sam a quick glare, before he noticed the locket in his brother's hand, "What's that?" He asked, 

Sam looked down at the locket before he looked up at his brother, "This has Phil's parent's names on and I saw him wearing it around his neck the other day, so he must have lost it." Sam explained, before putting the locket into his other pocket. 

"Okay, well we can ask dad if we can give it to Phil before we leave town." Dean suggested, knowing that their father would want to leave as soon as the case is solved and the ghost has been killed. 

Sam nodded, and he turned the photo copier off once it had finished copying what they needed. "We should get going." Sam suggested after he glanced down at his watch and noticed that it was 11pm.

Dean grabbed the papers and held them in a folder under his arm, "Let's go." He then lead Sam out of the principal's office, but he felt Sam grab his sleeve as he started making his way down the corridor, "What?" Dean asked as he stopped and made his way over to where his brother was standing. 

"Look." Was all Sam said as he pointed to a picture on the wall. 

Dean's mouth dropped open in shock when he noticed a familiar face in the picture. It was his mother. "Mom went here?" He asked in no more than a whisper, a lump forming in the back of his throat at the simple thought of his mom. 

"She must've done." Sam replied, before he spotted the caption at the bottom of the picture, "She earned an award for getting top grades in all her classes three years in a row." Sam pointed it, 

Dean forced a smile as he gave Sam a pat on the back, "At least we know who you get your brains from." He joked to hide the pain he was feeling from looking at the picture. Much like Sam, Mary had done well at school and possibly had even had the chance of a normal life if whatever had killed her hadn't payed a visit to their house. 

Sam smiled sadly at the picture, "Do you think she would've been proud of us?"

Dean let out a sigh, his chest heavy with sadness which he wasn't planning on letting out anytime soon. "I think you would've made her proud, Sammy." Dean answered quietly, not taking his eyes off the picture. That was until the air became ice cold and the lights on the walls flickered on before turning off. Dean quickly pushed his sad thoughts aside as he reached for his salt gun and his eyes widened when he saw a ghostly figure standing behind Sam. "Sam, we should go to Poughkeepsie." Was all Dean said and that was enough to tell Sam that he needed to run. 

As soon as Sam was out of the way, Dean shot salt at the ghost, making it disappear into a puff of smoke. He then sprinted after his brother, but before he could get outside the doors at the entrance to the school slammed shut. Dean banged on the glass, "Sam! Sammy!" He shouted to his brother who was already outside. 

"Dean!" Sam shouted as he ran back towards the door, pulling and pushing on the handle repeatedly to open the door, but it didn't budge. "Tell me you locked the door and this is a trick!" 

"Yeah, because I would lock myself in a school with a ghost, great idea!" Dean shouted back, his voice rich with sarcasm. All of a sudden, Dean felt himself being pulled away from the door and thrown across the entrance hall, where he smashed into some cardboard boxes that were on the floor in front of the main desk. He could hear Sam banging loudly on the glass doors, but his attention quickly turned to the ghost that was towering over him. 

"This is for what you did." The ghost spoke, it's voice deep and not that of a teenager. It was more like an adult and Dean could tell by its glare that it was angry. 

Dean used his hands to push himself backwards, but as he was doing this the ghost locked its hands around his throat. Dean gasped for air, desperately reaching into his pocket for his salt gun and panicking when he couldn't find it. He turned his head to the side and that's when he noticed the gun lay in the centre of the hall. He reached his hand out for it, but he was unable to reach it. "I-I haven't done an-anything." Dean choked out, his chest wheezing as he began to feel short of breath. 

He couldn't stop himself from panicking; Sam was outside, he couldn't reach his salt gun and as far as he knew John was working a case in another town. Dean was expecting to black out at any moment, but the next thing he heard was a loud gun shot and the ghost disappeared. Dean took a large intake of breath as he sat up and when he looked up he locked eyes with a familiar face. "Dad?"


	40. A Mind Of Its Own

It wasn't like John to finish a case early, but Dean couldn't more relieved that he had. He grabbed his father's hand as he held it out to help him up. "Thank you." Dean said gratefully, before picking up his salt gun and putting it into the waistband of his jeans. 

"I parked the Impala outside, so how about you tell me what happened on the way back to the motel?" John suggested, 

"Yes, sir." Dean replied obediently, before he followed his father outside. Dean was still shaking from when he ghost attacked him, but he tried to be brave, knowing that his father didn't expect him to be anything else; however, Dean couldn't help but smile when Sam wrapped his arms tightly around his waist the second he stepped outside. "I'm okay, Sammy. You don't need to worry." Dean reassured Sam, but when Sam looked up at Dean he noticed a bruise on his cheek, 

"You don't look okay." Sam pointed out, "I saw what that ghost did to you, it was going to kill you!" 

Dean pulled away from the hug and placed his hands on Sam's shoulders when he saw him tear up, "But it didn't. I've just got a few cuts and bruises but I'm fine. Besides, the last place I want to die is at a stupid school." He added jokingly, 

Sam managed a small smile, wiping his tears onto the back of his sleeve, "I guess so." He replied, 

Dean nodded, "Okay, let's get in the car." He smiled, putting his arm across Sam's shoulders as he lead him to the car, which was parked around the corner from the school, as John didn't want them to look suspicious by parking outside a locked school at night. 

 

Dean climbed into the back seat so he could sit with Sam. He knew that his brother didn't like to see him hurt, much like he didn't like to see Sam hurt, so Dean did his best to make sure he looked okay to prevent Sam from worrying too much. 

"So what did you boys find out?" John asked after getting into the driver's seat. 

Dean exchanged looks with Sam before he turned back to John, able to tell by the worried expression on Sam's face that his brother was too shaken up to speak. "A boy committed suicide in 1987 because of bullying. He went to this school, so we were thinking he could be behind the murders." Dean explained; however, what didn't make sense was why the ghost had murdered Katie, because as far Dean knew, she didn't seem the type of person to bully someone. 

"Okay. What was the boy's name?" John asked, 

Dean's eyes drifted up, unable to remember the boy's name, so he was relieved when Sam said, "Derek Jones."

"Okay, we're gonna go to the police station and find out where he's buried." John stated as he started the car.

"Wait, we're gonna break into a police station?" Sam asked, his eyes wide with shock from his father's suggestion.

"No, you boys are going to wait in the car while I pose as an FBI agent and ask the guards for the details." John explained, which didn't make Sam feel any better about this.

Dean placed his hand on Sam's shoulder as he picked up on his brother's worry, "It'll be fine, Sammy. Dad's done this before." Dean reassured him. 

Sam nodded, letting out a soft sigh as he looked away from Dean and stared out of the window. He put his hand into his pocket, where he absentmindedly fiddled with Phil's locket. 

Dean rested his arm on the side of the car door, also staring out of the window, a blank expression on his face. The clouds moved slowly across the sky and Dean was just about able to see the crescent moon that was behind them. Seeing their mother's picture at the school had awoken memories that Dean had long been trying to forget about. Memories of his shortly lived childhood with his parents that weren't exactly any better than what was happening right now. John had always told them that she had been a good mother to the boys and an excellent wife to him. In fact their marriage had been perfect, but there was one thing that Sam didn't know about, and that was something that Dean had spent four years of his life witnessing. John and Mary's marriage was far from perfect. They had arguments that often resulted in John sleeping on the couch and a four year old Dean sleeping with his mother, making sure she was alright. John hated how Mary kept information from him -information about her side of the family- but there was one argument that was always fresh in Dean's mind. One month after Sam had been born, Dean overheard one of the worst arguments that his parents had ever had. It had resulted in John leaving for a few days and even then the arguments didn't stop. Mary would call John, asking him to come home. Dean could tell that it had upset his mother, so after every phone call with John he would go up to her and hug her, letting her know that John still loved her. Mary would then smile at Dean, finding it sweet how her four year old son was trying to cheer her up, and Dean loved it when he could bring a smile to his mother's face. It only made him happier when Mary baked him his favourite meal; pie. 

Dean smiled sadly as he thought about this, but he soon pushed that sadness to the back of his mind when he saw that they had arrived at the police station. 

"You boys wait in the car, I'll be back soon." John suggested as he fumbled around in the glove compartment for his fake FBI. 

Dean nodded, "Yes, sir." He replied simply, locking the car once John had left. 

Sam looked at Dean with worry in his eyes, but this time the worry was about Dean. He hadn't said anything on the way to the police station, but he had noticed that Dean had been quiet ever since he had showed his Mary's picture at the school. "Dean, are you okay? You've hardly spoken since we left the school." Sam pointed out, 

Dean sighed, he didn't want to have this conversation with Sam right now, "Yeah, I'm good, just tired, that's all, Sammy." Dean replied, giving Sam a forced smile, 

"No you're not. You haven't said anything since we left the school, you hardly said anything about mom's picture and now you're trying to act like you're fine when I know you're not." Sam explained softly, 

Dean shook his head, "Don't start, Sam." 

Sam furrowed his eyebrows, "Start what?"

"The whole 'talk about your feelings and don't bottle stuff up' crap. I don't need to talk about anything, let's just carry on with the case." Dean snapped, 

"Dad's handling the case pretty well. I just want you to be honest with me, I'm worried about you." Sam confessed, as he gave his brother a puppy dog eyed look, which never failed to work.

Dean let out a deep sigh as he looked away from Sam, knowing that if he saw the look on his face that he would give in, but Dean didn't want to be seen as weak, so he fought hard to keep up his strong act. "You don't have to worry about me, Sammy." Dean replied, 

"Of course I do. You're my brother. And I get that a lot has happened today with Katie's death and seeing mom's picture, but you don't have to bottle everything up. I'm here." Sam explained softly, wishing that Dean would talk to him, because he didn't like to see his brother upset and he knew that if it was him in Dean's position, then Dean would expect Sam to talk about it. 

"I don't need to talk okay?! Just leave me alone!" Dean snapped, before getting out of the car, slamming the door behind him. He didn't look behind him as he walked away from the car, leaning against the wall opposite the police station. He ran his hand down the front of his face as he tried to calm himself down. Even though he hated to admit it, he knew that Sam was right. This was too much for Dean to bottle up and deal with on his own, but he was so used to putting Sam before himself that he wasn't used to somebody else caring for him. 

Dean let out a deep sigh as he stared blankly down at his muddy boots; however, a familiar rumbling of an engine soon alerted him. He looked up only to find that somebody had started the Impala's engine. At first Dean assumed it must be their father, but when he looked over at the police station and saw John searching through a filing cabinet, Dean furrowed his eyebrows in confusion as Sam wasn't old enough to drive yet. 

As Dean made his way over to the car, he realised that there wasn't anybody in the driver's seat. In fact, the only thing he could see was a very scared Sam sitting in the backseat. Once Dean reached the car he tried to open the door, but it appeared to be locked, "Dammit Sam, open the door!" Dean shouted, 

"I can't!" Sam shouted back, worry present in his voice, "It isn't locked and it won't open!" He added in panic, as he vigorously pulled in the door handle, but what Sam didn't notice was the ghostly white face of a man behind him, 

Dean's mouth dropped open in fear when he saw the face, recognising it as the ghost that was at the school, but he soon came back to his senses, "Sam, you're gonna be alright! My bag's on the floor and there's a salt gun in there!" Dean shouted, keeping his eyes on Sam as he watched him fumble around in his bag for the salt gun, but as he was doing so the ghost pushed Sam back. Then the next thing Dean heard was the engine roaring and the Impala speeding down the road, heading towards a lake at the end of the road. 

"Sam!" Dean yelled as he sprinted after the car, finding it hard to keep up as the car sped up. He stopped, fear and worry present on his face as he ran his fingers through his already messy hair, "Dammit Dean, you can do better than this." Dean muttered to himself, a small smile forming in the corner of his mouth when he noticed a bicycle propped up against a wall. "It's better than nothing I suppose." He thought out loud, before making his way over to the bike. Dean hadn't had much experience on a bicycle, but the few times he had rode one it was easy enough, plus his brother's life was in danger so Dean had to try something. 

Once on the bike, Dean peddled quickly, the wind rushing through his hair as he caught up to the Impala. "Sam you need to turn the wheel!" Dean shouted when he saw that Sam was now sitting in the driver's seat. 

Sam took a deep breath, his eyes widening when he saw the lake up ahead, but he listened to Dean, trusting that he knew how to save him, as he'd done so on so many occasions. Sam placed both of his hands on the steering wheel, using all of his strength to turn it but it wouldn't move, "It's not moving!" Sam shouted, tears forming in his eyes when he saw that the lake was only getting closer. "Dean help me!" Sam shouted desperately, his breathing becoming uneven and tears spilling down his cheeks as he feared for his life. 

Dean kept looking from the lake to Sam, panicking about not being able to help his brother. It was clear that the ghost was controlling the car, so Sam was powerless unless they got the ghost out of the car first. Dean's eyes widened when he saw the ghost smirking in the backseat, and that was when another idea came to Dean's mind; it was risky, but Dean was willing to do anything he could to save Sam. Keeping one hand on the handle bars of the bike, Dean reached into his back pocket and pulled out his gun that contained bullets loaded with rock salt, "Sam, get away from the window!" Dean shouted as he aimed the gun at the back window, "Dad's gonna kill me for this." Dean whispered to himself, before pulling the trigger. He covered his eyes when glass flew everywhere, cutting his cheek, but he was relieved to see that he'd made a big enough hole to shoot the ghost. "Sam pull the hand brake up!" Dean shouted as he shot the ghost repeatedly, making it disappear into a puff of smoke and the car soon came to a stop less than a hundred yards away from the lake. 

Due to his attention being on Sam, Dean wasn't looking where he was going so when he saw the Impala stop and eventually did look ahead of him it was too late, because he soon found himself losing control of the bike and falling head first into the lake. 

Sam let out a breath of relief when the car stopped, and he spent a few seconds with his head resting against the back of the seat in the Impala as he tried to calm himself down; however, he wasn't anything but calm when he opened his eyes and saw the bicycle in the lake without Dean anywhere in sight. Sam climbed out of the car, his eyes searching around frantically for his brother, "Dean?" Sam slowly made his way towards the lake, "Dean!" He shouted in panic, letting out a breath of relief when he saw Dean's hand hold onto the wooden walk way that went into the middle of the lake. Sam walked to the edge of the wooden walkway, holding onto one of the posts as he reached his hand out for Dean to grab onto, and once he had Sam helped him onto the walkway. 

Sam patted Dean's back when he started to cough up the water he'd swallowed. "Are you alright?" Sam asked, struggling to hold back a smile when he saw how much mud had gotten onto his brother's face. 

"I'm super." Dean replied sarcastically after he'd stopped coughing, "I probably won't be when Dad sees the state of the car though." Dean joked, knowing how much John treasured the Impala and how annoyed he would be when he notices the damage. 

Sam managed a weak chuckle, "You smell like the drains, you know that?" Sam teased, 

Dean grabbed a tissue from his pocket and wiped the mud off his face, "Well I've gotta watch out for my geeky little brother, haven't I? And if that means getting a little dirty sometimes, then I guess I have no choice, but you're totally buying me some new clothes." Dean joked, as he made his way back to the car with Sam. 

Sam smiled, momentarily forgetting about how shaken up he feels, "You're such a jerk." He joked, which instantly brought a smile to Dean's face; however, that smile quickly faded when he saw John standing next to the car, and from the angered look on his face, Dean knew that he was in trouble.


End file.
